Evangelion: Renaissance and Revolution
by deer hunter
Summary: Shinji has aborted 3rd impact, and humanity has returned to life. Shinji and Asuka now must deal with their feelings and with what instrumentality has shown them. ShinjiXAsuka
1. Chapter 1: Under the bleeding sky

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All names and other references associated with it are owned by Gainax.

            The Third child could feel the sand beneath him. It was soft and smooth, and somehow comforting. Shinji could feel his heart beating inside of his chest; he could feel the oxygen entering and leaving his lungs. Breath. Air. Life. "I must be alive," he thought to himself, "I must have found the truth; the truth within my heart."

            Shinji sat up and scanned the area. The oddities of his current place of being did not strike him, what he did notice, however, was a red haired German girl sitting next to him. Thoughts now rushed through the mind of the third child. "Why is she here? Is there no one else?" Shinji again looked around him. There was no one else. Only himself and the woman who hated him. Shinji's thoughts now seemed returned to him after establishing this fact. "Perhaps she found truth as well?" Shinji did not know. Suddenly his memories flooded back to him. He could see the kitchen in his old apartment vividly. Asuka was there, and he was as well. He had asked her, no begged her, to help him. Shinji knew that she was the only one who could save him, though from what he did not know. It was just a horrible feeling really; a disgusting existence some called life. Perhaps she could make it bearable. Then the shove had come; the coffee pot, the floor, the final rejection. It was at this exact moment Shinji had lost whatever it was that he found himself holding on to. If Asuka, the one person who could have saved him, rejected him, then there was no point for her to live. There was no point for anyone to live.

            Yet Instrumentality had not solved this problem either. It had all been a lie. A false reality. "Is my mind so perverted and obscure that I cannot even accept perfection?" Shinji asked himself. 

Shinji Ikari had ended it. He had destroyed the one place where he might have been happy, only to return to a world of pain. Shinji Ikari was beset by the ironies of his own life; the thought that of all the people in the world, he had returned with Asuka. "But Asuka rejected me. If it is only the two of us, and I have been rejected, then there is no point for her to live; it would be better to simply be alone, that way I won't have to deal with the pain she would bring." Shinji's mind was made.

******************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu could feel a weight upon her body, and soon her blank eyes again provided her with the curse of observation. She could feel the clenching of hands upon her neck. The second child focused her vision enough to see the form of Shinji Ikari bearing down upon her. The German girl could feel her thoughts returning. "I died. Then I lived again. Yet that life was not real. It was hollow. And now I am here. I am here for a reason. I must be alive. I am alive for a reason. Yet there is nothing here now. Nothing except…him. Is he my reason? Is Shinji my reason for living?"

            Asuka could feel her death drawing close. "This is not correct. Why would I return to simply die? Is my purpose to be killed by Shinji? No, it can't be, can it? Does he exist to kill me? Will that solve his problems; will that make him happy? No, death cannot be the answer. I have returned so that I may live. If we are not to die for each other, are we to live for each other?" Asuka Langley Soryu knew that whatever the cause may be, she would not allow Shinji the satisfaction of killing her. She knew that Shinji could not find happiness this way, for it was simply another way for him to run; to escape from having to be with her. "You were always such a coward Shinji," she thought, "But I won't let you run away from this."

***************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari could now feel a touch; her touch. She was reaching up to him, caressing his face. "No! Please don't do this to me. Asuka! Please just let me end it. There is no need for you to live, please!" Shinji's mind was screaming. He could feel his murderous insanity begin to slowly drain away from him as he loosened his grip upon her throat. The third child gazed upon the woman beneath him. There was something else there now; something he hadn't seen before. Her hand continued to play upon the side of his skull. Shinji could only barely recognize the feeling it gave him. It was something that he had not felt since he had been a small child. It was comforting in a way, yet at the same time the contact frightened him. Was this love? There was nothing else in this world; nothing but Asuka and himself, yet she had stopped him from his task. "Does that mean she wishes to live, even if it means she would be with me? To exist with me in this world of pain?"

***************************************************************************************

            Asuka could feel Shinji's grip loosen as she continued to caress his face. Slowly she could feel existence returning to her fully. And moments later the horrible pain of life was with her again. She had left perfection to exist in this place; this painful, torturous reality. She had been given a chance to escape this world as well; yet she had stopped the boy who could have brought this escape about. What was it she had done? She had touched him. The second child gazed into the eyes of the third. She could see the pain in his eyes; they were vying for comfort. His eyes pleaded of something to hold on too; something to hold. "Would it be comforting to him if I was gone? No, if it was he would have killed me." Instead she had given him comfort through her life, instead of through her death. Was it that simple? Had a simple touch provided him enough reason to continue? Was it just a touch?" Asuka was not sure. "Was it more than that? Was it the feeling? Did I show him understanding? Did it express love? Do I love Shinji? Is that why I am here? Is that why I am alive?"

            "What a disgusting feeling."

*************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari rolled off of the second child, his rage gone, exhaustion taking it over. He gazed into the sky. He had ended it. He had been raised since the age of five to hate the world, to fear people, to want the dream of perfection that was the human instrumentality project. But he had defied them all. But mostly he had defied his father. And for that he could feel a small measure of happiness.

For the first time Shinji now looked beyond his own thoughts to the actual observation of what was held in the sky. It was enormous and dark, the kind of dark that seemed to envelope your very soul and send chills down your spine. A giant black sphere simply suspended in the atmosphere.

"It's bleeding," Shinji said to himself, not really knowing why he had said it, or having any other way to describe what was going on. It was at this point that consciousness finally left the third child, and he drifted into the blissful slumber brought by fatigue. 

*******************************************************************************

Unknown to Shinji, the "blood" that he had observed was quite different than what he imagined it to be. The tides of the beach he rested upon were slowly drifting farther away; siphoning off back into the air. The LCL was reverting, the primordial soup that had once surrounded the two pilots was now returning to the form of the AT field. The newly reformed fields found themselves floating back up into the atmosphere. They were returning to Lilith's black egg. However the majority of these fields lingered only briefly, for the perfection that had once been inside was now distorted beyond recognition; the inside of the egg had become a veritable hell in and of its own. The AT fields now began to leave the egg once again to search for a new place to exist. The reversal of the process had now left them with only one choice. They would have to restore the bodies that had once held them.

********************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari awoke sometime later to the sound of tires riding across pavement. The first thing that he noticed upon his awakening was that he held a red haired German girl in his arms, and for that he was both relieved and frightened. Upon further observation he noticed that he was riding in the back of a large pickup truck with several other confused looking people. Shinji gently laid the sleeping Asuka down and knocked on the window to the truck cab. Upon hearing the noise, the man in the passenger seat opened the back window.

"Oh good, I'm glad you woke up. I was starting to worry a little bit," said the man.

"Where are we?" Shinji asked intently.

"We're just about to Tokyo 3, a lot of the city is still intact, me and the wife here are just going around picking up folks that have returned," he said with a gesturing motion to the woman driving the car.

Shinji nodded, and with his question answered returned to where he had sat with Asuka. Shinji again now looked to the stars. The black egg was still spewing redness out upon the landscape. Shinji watched as one of the glowing red spheres returned to the body of a man strewn beside a car on the highway. The man gasped and sputtered as Shinji observed his feature spring to life once again.

"Driver," Shinji shouted, "A man just woke up over there on the side of the road."

"Oh," responded the woman driving the truck, "Gotcha. I'll turn around." 

And with that they stopped and picked the man up. He seemed rather "far away," and Shinji and the other conscious passengers did what they could to get him situated in the truck as they entered the limits of Tokyo 3.

*****************************************************************************

Deep within the underground geofront, NERV had slowly began to awaken as their AT fields returned to them. Commander Kozo Fuyutski could feel his mind getting  its  bearings strait, and he began to walk around the room, unsure of what had happened to him. He watched as Maya Ibuki and the other technicians slowly began to return as well. Fuyutski suddenly realized what must have happened: "Shinji must have aborted third impact," he thought to himself. Then, after several more minutes, almost the entire staff had returned to life, and the commander began to give orders. 

"I want to know what the situation is on the surface as soon as possible. If we have any functioning equipment left try to get an analysis on the damage," he shouted at his team.

One of the newer technicians was the first to answer in return.

"Sir it appears as if much of the area surrounding the city has been destroyed. However the city itself appears to be mostly intact. We also seem to be experiencing an eclipse of some sort, and I'm receiving massive energy readings from the atmosphere." 

"What? An eclipse?" Fuyutski knew almost immediately what had happened. Lilith's sphere still hung suspended in the air, eclipsing the sun. 

"But why are we receiving life readings from it?" pondered Fuyutski. But soon afterward he answered his own question. 

"The souls must be draining from it as we speak."

**********************************************************************************

When the pickup truck had neared their apartment Shinji stopped the driver. He did his best to support Asuka in his arms, and then carefully carried her up the stairs to toward their home. The door was open, but besides that everything seemed to be intact. He carried her inside and slowly walked to her bedroom. She felt her herself awaken on the way, and managed to look at Shinji as he carried her to her bed. As she observed him, her thoughts drifted back to instrumentality. The last thing she could remember seeing before returning to the earth; the last thing she had observed before returning to life, was Shinji. Asuka had clearly seen the Third child crucified on a cross in the sky. She knew that he had suffered for the world, suffered for her. And with those thoughts she again returned to sleep.

***********************************************************************************

  
With Asuka safe in her bed, Shinji sat down on the couch and for the first time thought about himself. He felt different, he couldn't quite describe it, but it was there. "Was it the way she looked into my eyes," he thought, "Or is it deeper than that." Shinji had the feeling that everything in the world had just changed a great deal in a very short time. Although it was unknown to Shinji Ikari as he sat upon his couch, people all over the city were now regaining consciousness. They all suffered from momentary confusion, and then recalled the last thing they had seen. Before they returned they had observed s the image of a boy, young, no older than 14, suffering on the cross. Somehow they knew that that this boy was the reason they had returned, the reason they were now living. And for that they were grateful. 

*******************************************************************************

Back at NERV, things were once again functioning normally, or at least as normal as things could possibly be. Fuyutski had established that humanity was indeed returning to its old state of existence. But there was something that had been picked up by Aoba that was troubling him. They had begun to receive readings from somewhere in Tokyo 3, a new kind of energy pattern that they had never encountered before. Its life signs read as human enough, but its pattern was altogether different. They classified it as pattern Green energy, and that was really all that they could do, that and wait for the rest of humanity to reawaken.

*********************************************************************************

Soon after Shinji had laid Asuka in her bed, as well as thought for a good while, he too went to his bedroom and collapsed under the covers. Shinji was indeed quickly asleep, though his housemate in the other room was now quite awake. She slowly got up out of bed and walked into the living room. The sky still seemed to be raining blood; raining the red AT fields of humanity. It was at this time that Asuka now noticed that the pain from her arm and other injuries had now subsided. In fact, the wounds had altogether healed. 

The second child now walked back to the hallway, but this time instead of returning to her room, she entered Shinji's. Asuka slowly lifted the covers and laid down next to her savior. It was warm and she was soon asleep. She felt safe, and for the most part, happy.


	2. Chapter 2: Picking up the pieces

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All names and other references associated with it are owned by Gainax.

Misato Katsuragi awakened in the darkness. "I must be dead." She looked at her chest where she had been penetrated by a bullet from the defense force. She pulled on her shirt to get a view of the wound, expecting pain but experiencing none. This confused her greatly. The area itself was covered in dried blood, caked on top of her smooth skin. In the middle of the blood however was a single bullet, simply lying on top of her chest. She reached over and picked it up. It was cold and evil looking. Misato got a chill from looking at it; it was like looking death in the face. 

Misato stood quickly, and soon after stumbled back down to the ground. For a moment an image of Shinji crucified in the sky flashed into her mind. "Oh Shinji!" she gasped in realization of what must have happened to him. She stood back up (with more caution this time) and began to make her way upward.

************************************************************************************

Commander Fuyutski sat at Gendo Ikari's desk up at the top of the bridge. He was deep in thought with a printed report lying in front of him. It had been three days since he had returned to consciousness, and was now thinking clearly again. The report showed that the numbers of people returning from the black egg were now shrinking. In fact for several hours now souls had stopped returning entirely. He was actually in truth very relieved to know that a great deal of people had survived the ordeal. Only around 50% of the world's population had escaped from second impact. But after a few calls to the U.N. and contact with the other NERV branches around the world, it seemed as if around 83% had survived third impact. He was also becoming increasingly assured that no more souls would in fact return, a fact that scared him a little, or maybe he was just paranoid. Whatever the cause the thought remained stuck in his mind. 83% survived, that means that, if the souls indeed had stopped returning 17% will be trapped forever. 1% of the earth's population for every angel killed. He had come to this realization as he and his team had tried to analyze the energy released by Lilith's egg. The energy ratings from inside had read closely to that of human beings, yet they were displayed in a way that angels were usually read. Maybe it was all a coincidence. The black sphere itself was quite remarkable. It had begun rotating around the earth, much like a second black moon. It was also vast and extremely dense. It would rotate passed the sun at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon and cause a complete solar eclipse until it again rotated past. He had also been unable to successfully locate the new green energy pattern in Tokyo three. But the area in which it was radiating was slowly shrinking and soon he believed he would be able to pinpoint in it.

Astonishingly, it also seemed as if the geofront was completely intact. Which really didn't make sense at all when he first started thinking about it. The entire command center was physically attached to it, yet here it was, in relatively normal condition still attached to the planet. He had come up with a theory however. If his memory served him correctly, then he remembered his physical body bursting as his soul was ripped from it. Yet when his soul returned to him, his body was again intact. After further analysis of the sphere in the sky, it seemed to not actually be Lillith's physical egg, more like a projection of it. What upset the commander the most is that the sphere in the sky was in fact giving off its own AT field. He wondered if this was being caused by the 17% of humanities AT fields still trapped inside of it. This lead him to another conclusion, "if the souls returning had restored the humans physical shapes, why had the egg returned to its physical shape if its AT field still remained in the sky?" He had discussed this question with the crew, and they had arrived at the notion that third impact was not meant to be stopped once it had begun. It had obviously greatly altered some part of the dimension, perhaps the space between earth and the heavens? The answer as he saw it was that if the egg had been restored to physical form without its other half still in the sky, then perhaps third impact had not been aborted at all, instead merely halted. If this was the case, then it could restart again at any time, or perhaps be finished for good. That would mean that their must be some sort of catalyst to either end the impact entirely, or finish it. The real question was figuring out what that was. He decided that as soon as it was deemed safe to do so, he would go and investigate terminal dogma. This thought was soon driven from his mind when a groggy Major Katsuragi entered the room.

*************************************************************************************

Shinji awoke to the morning light shining in to his room. His sleep had again become troubled by dreams; dreams that he could not remember once he had woken up. This frustrated him greatly. He could feel Asuka's warmth without looking. She had only woken up once or twice in the three days following third impact. Shinji too had slept a great deal. Both his body and mind were incredibly tired. He turned to look at Asuka. They hadn't spoken since they had returned from perfection, but he seemed to have an unspoken bond with her. She had slept next to him every night since they had gotten back, and Shinji was still shocked every time he awoke next to her. 

Her eyes opened and met Shinji's. "Good morning," she mouthed to him. He stroked her hair, and got out of bed. He stepped onto the cold floor and headed to the shower. He found himself thinking of Asuka as he rinsed his hair. Thoughts flowed quickly through his mind. Why is she spending the night with me? Does she know I tried to choke her? Does she even remember what happened? How do I feel about her? He stopped after the last thought entered his mind and pondered it for several minutes. He sighed. "I'm not sure I even know the answer to that question."

With that final realization he dried himself and returned to his room to get his clothes. Asuka seemed to be asleep again and he changed quickly into his jeans and one of his white shirts. He exited and returned to his living room. He felt like getting out of the house, so he put on his shoes and ventured out the front door.

It was about noon, and the sun was shining brightly. He walked down the streets simply observing. It seemed almost as if nothing had happened at all. He glanced at a newspaper stand on the sidewalk and a headline caught his eye. It was on the front page of the _Tokyo 3 Times_. The line read as follows: Young Pilot Saves Humanity. There was a huge artist rendition of Shinji crucified in the sky, a ghost of unit 01 in the same position behind him. He purchased the paper while hiding his face from the shop keeper. 

What Shinji read in the article frightened him. It seemed as if everyone in the entire world had gotten the chance to view his part in third impact. Shinji still had not quite come to grips with what had happened to him in the sky. The article went on to discuss the religious implications of what had happened. The young pilot had never really looked at it this way, he didn't really believe in God, and yet he still seemed to want to blame him for things, even though he knew most of that blame belonged to Gendo. It seemed as if numerous religions had been shaken by the truth of what had taken place, and what was worse, many of them were now incorporating him into the explanation.

"How could these people think this? I'm no messiah!" He realized that he had said it to loud, people were staring at him. Shinji normally would have run away in a situation like this, to avoid the embarrassment, to avoid the contact. He would have, but he didn't get the chance, apparently these people had recognized him, and quickly mobbed around him. Shinji turned to get some space from the small crowd, but in doing so fell onto the pavement. He couldn't really understand the things that they were trying to ask him, but he got the gist of what they were saying. They were asking him questions, religious questions to which Shinji had no answer. They were also thanking him. 

"Please…I, uh… thank-y…you don't need to…" He finally managed to stand up again. He couldn't take it, and soon he was shoving the crowd to the side, off and running again. The people followed him for a while, feat beating against the asphalt as Shinji did his best to lose them, which he eventually did. After thoroughly making sure that no one knew where he was he doubled back to the apartment. He unlocked the door, and entered, leaning on the table to catch his breath. He let the newspaper slide out of his hand and lay on the floor.

"I can't deal with this," he mumbled to himself.

"Shinji!" 

Shinji turned to see his guardian stepping from behind the door to his room. She had made it out of the egg, probably one of the last souls to escape. And what's more, she looked fine, or at least not shot. 

"I am so happy to see you Shinji! Asuka is asleep and I just got home and you weren't here and…" she trailed off, her voice changing from one of relief to one of concern.

"Misato," Shinji's mind seemed to be preoccupied, "I'm glad to see your okay."

Misato, her concern gone, ran up to Shinji and hugged him. She squeezed him tight, tears in her eyes. After a while she leaned down and looked him in the eyes.

"Are you okay Shinji?"

He nodded, while breaking the hug off.

"I'm tired, I'm going to go lay down for a while." This was a lie and he knew it, but his mind was reeling with the events of the day, with the idea that humanity was regarding him as its savior, as a child of God.

"Okay, sleep well." Shinji nodded and left towards his room. Misato did not even care that Shinji seemed less than ecstatic to see her, or that Asuka and Shinji had obviously been spending the night in the same bed. No, she was simply happy to be alive; happy to see Shinji and Asuka again. She remembered the corridor, the horrible corridor, with Shinji refusing to pilot unit 01. She remembered the kiss. She had hoped to give Shinji something to fight for, a reason to save humanity, for she knew that he had had none. Yet he still halted third impact, and for this she was grateful.

********************************************************************************

In the other room Shinji lay on his bed, his mind for the moment thinking of Misato. He now remembered the kiss. He assured himself that it had meant nothing. 

"She was probably delirious from the pain of the wound," he said softly. And with that thought he sunk into sleep. Sunk into his dreams. It was in this place that Shinji could truly rest.

*******************************************************************************

Back at NERV, Kozo Fuyutski neared the door to terminal dogma. It had taken a while for the maintenance staff to clear out the debris strewn about from the JSSDF assault, but now the pathway was clear. He pulled his card key from his pocket, and slid it quickly through the slot. The door opened with a whir, and he stepped inside. The room was completely black, shrouded entirely in darkness. The commander grabbed his radio and held down the side button.

"Okay, try the power one more time." He listened to the static of the frequency for a moment before he got a response.

"One moment sir." About thirty seconds later the fluorescent lighting clicked and slowly hummed to life.

A normal man would have been shocked by what the commander saw in front of him, but Kozo had seen too much in his lifetime to be startled anymore, in fact he smiled ever so slightly.

In front of Fuyutski a gigantic red cross stood erect. Upon that cross was crucified a boy. He was large, and ghostly looking now, but he was easily recognizable as the last angel, the fifth child.

The commander's eyes slowly lowered until he was looking directly in front of him. A girl was standing there facing him. A girl with blue hair and pale skin. She stood straight up, arms extended from her body, head limp, looking at the ground, her eyes rolled up in their sockets. 

"It's not over yet," he said quietly, "It's not over yet."


	3. Chapter 3: The battle

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All names and other references associated with it are owned by Gainax.

Shinji found himself immersed in a dream. He was in a deep sleep, with much on his mind. So much in fact that he hadn't even noticed that Asuka was still asleep next to him. He had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that it hadn't even surprised him like before. Or maybe he was just getting used to it.

Shinji could see the image of his mother in his mind. But she was drifting away, fading into the distance. He called after her. 

"Mother don't leave, I need you!"

"You have to let go Shinji, or you'll never be happy, you will never be able to see the people that need you…"

As she faded he could see his AT field leave his body to try and follow her, and then he woke up.

He knew that this must have been the dream he had been having for the last few days. He could tell now. He became aware that Asuka was awake. She had been watching him sleep. He saw her smile.

"Are you ready to face the world Asuka? You haven't been out of bed in a while, almost four days now."

"I'm not tired anymore."

She got out of the bed and walked to the door. She glanced behind her once on the way, noting that Shinji was watching her. She walked out into the living room and was surprised to find Misato there.

"Good morning Asuka! I'm happy to see that you're finally awake."

"Um, good morning Misato."

Misato ran quickly over to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm so happy to see you; I thought I never would again."

"I'm happy to see you too."

And she was, although she usually found herself at odds with her guardian, she was genuinely happy to see that she was alive. Asuka didn't really know what to say, the world was like nothing had happened, but they both knew much had changed.

"I…" Asuka started.

"Y'know what Asuka, lets just make breakfast."

"Sounds good."

They set to work performing their task as much to feed their hunger as to avoid their pain, neither felt like talking about what had happened, and perhaps they never would. That was fine with Asuka. She had died, been torn to pieces, felt the pain of death. And now she was alive again, and didn't want to relive those memories.

****************************************************************************************

Shinji found his thoughts once again straying to Asuka. She seemed happy to be near him, but he felt like it was a trick. She had done this to him before, and he hated it. Hated her. Hated the world. Yet he had saved the world. Why? He asked himself. Why? He thought he knew the answer, to defy his father, to defy everybody, but that wasn't it, he knew the real reason. But his fear still remained. Or did it? What did he now have to be afraid of? He had always felt like an outcast, the sad part was that he knew it was his own doing, he refused to let people in, yet he let them make his decisions. Or was it his father all along? He had been abandoned as a child, the only real purpose being that he would accept Instrumentality. Shinji almost laughed.

*****************************************************************************

Kozo walked slowly toward Rei. He was not at all sure what had happened to her, it looked almost as if she was possessed. She was obviously unconscious, or possibly even comatose. Yet she stood erect, arms out like a cross. 

"Rei?"

He reached out his hands and touched her shoulders. Immediately her eyes focused and she collapsed onto him. She began to sputter words violently.

"He did it again! That should be me on the cross! Why! He did it twice! If they get him back were doomed…!"

"Rei! Calm down! Get a hold of yourself!"

She vomited, and began to fall. He caught her and laid her on the ground. He picked up his radio and began to shout.

"This is Fuyutski! I need a medical team as soon as possible!"

****************************************************************************************

The day had passed uneventfully at the Katsuragi household. The only notable thing that had occurred was that Shinji and Asuka had received a notice that school was to begin again in a week. This saddened Shinji greatly, he had hoped to have a much longer break from school. The thought of having to face all of those people after what they had seen him do during Instrumentality frightened him. On the other hand Asuka seemed to be returning to her old self, and he wasn't sure how much he wanted to be around her in the house if that was the case. 

In truth Asuka had learned of the fame that Shinji was now receiving from the media. It was natural for her to feel jealous that he was receiving all of the attention. "So what if he got crucified," she thought to herself, "I got tore limb from limb, eaten! I suffered just as much as he did." She had begun belittling him again, forgetting about the comfort that he had provided her over the last several days.

Shinji himself had taken a nap, again immersed in his own dream; he loved seeing the image of his mother, even if she was being torn from him again. And then the sphere would appear. The orange hexagons constituting its surface. It felt so real. Like he could reach out and touch it.

Asuka walked over to her sleeping housemate and hit him in the face with a pillow. Shinji awoke with a start, grasping for his mother and the AT sphere, but instead he saw only Asuka.

"Why did you wake me?" He said angrily.

"For fun," she said obnoxiously back.

Shinji was about to tell her off when Misato entered the apartment carrying groceries.

"Are you two fighting already? That was sure fast."

Shinji was embarrassed. He felt like a child when he argued with Asuka.

"It's pointless anyway," Shinji responded.

Asuka simply glared and went into her room, slamming the door.

Shinji spent the remainder of the afternoon helping Misato prepare dinner. An ultimately pointless effort in the end, for when he left to go to the bathroom she managed to burn almost everything they had been preparing. Misato shrugged it off and quickly ordered a pizza, while Shinji just sighed.

"I should have known," he said under his breath.

"Known what?" Misato inquired.

"Uh, nothing," he smiled at her and she smiled back.

They all enjoyed their pizza that night in relative silence, and soon after Misato decided to turn in for the night, while Asuka and Shinji decided to watch some television instead. They just sat and watched the glowing screen in silence until a news bulletin interrupted what they had been watching. It was about the religious changes that were taking place in the Christian and Catholic countries, such as America, Ireland, and England. Shinji was mentioned several times, and as such he looked at the ground, not knowing what to feel.

Asuka on the other hand could feel the jealousy begin to boil within her.

"I bet it feel great doesn't it?" Her words dripping with sarcasm.

"No." It was the truth, Shinji did not like the amount of faith people were now finding in him.

"I'm sure. You ended perfection so you could live in a world where everyone worships you, you selfish fool."

Shinji was shocked at her words.

"How can you say that to me? You're blinded by your own stupid ideals. What's the matter did I finally give enough evidence for you to conclude that I am better than you are? Oh the drama, your poor self-esteem, I think I can hear your ego shriveling up," Shinji knew he had pushed the right button.

Asuka exploded at him cursing, in several languages. She grabbed him and shoved him up against the wall.

"You'll never be better than me, ever! Understand Baka!" She fumed.

Shinji looked at into her rage filled eyes, realizing that he didn't care anymore. None of the things he had said were true; he had just said them to aggravate her. 

"Why do we have to do this to each other, at this rate nothing will ever change," Shinji said quietly.

"What's that?" 

He locked his eyes onto hers. He said nothing for a long time. Asuka was also calming down, but she still held a tight grip on Shinji's shirt. In truth she was close to tears on the inside, she did not want things to be this way. She hated herself for acting the way that she did towards him. She knew that Shinji had no control over how the world perceived him.

At this point a battle was raging in the mind of Shinji Ikari. His question had been a real one. He didn't see the point in fighting. He was tired of escaping, tired of running from the responsibility of human interaction. Shinji's philosophy had always been to simply do what others told him, that way the responsibility was theirs, not his. His life thus far had been nothing but pain; he had hated a God he believed to be false. But he hated his father even more, for what he did to him, for what his mother did for him, for what he had tried to do to Rei and the rest of the people of earth. But now he was gone, Shinji was sure. He had not and would not return from the black moon. He had stopped his fathers plan; this had been Shinji's rage taking its vengeance. What more did he have to fear from the world that he hadn't already felt? As of this moment he had an entire world of people calling him their savior. Yet it was not his vengeance on Gendo, nor the acceptance of the world that had made him kill perfection. Vengeance and acceptance are pointless things to live for, because once they are achieved your life again becomes worthless, Shinji knew this to be true. With this realization he could confront what had saved this world, the thought that had saved him. The wish that he could be with her. And with that Shinji's mind ended its conflict for purpose. He refused to let his fear of abandonment prevent him from living; prevent him from living for her. 

"Asuka, do you want to know the real reason that I stopped Instrumentality?"

She said nothing

"Do you want to know the reason that humanity even exists at all at this moment?" Shinji said solemnly.

She nodded.

"I brought this world back because of you. Because I wanted to be with you, I decided that I would rather live in a world of pain with you, than in a dream of false perfection. Humanities return is just a side effect. The only reason that every human on the planet is breathing right now, is because you are my only reason to live. In truth you stopped instrumentality, not me."

She could do nothing but stare at him. She doubted if she would ever be able to possess the courage to say something like that. She could feel the tears begin to flow from her eyes.

"Oh, Shinji I…," 

She pulled him close, and before she knew what she was doing she was kissing him. All of her emotions pouring out through her lips, all the pent up feeling. She held nothing back, giving herself to the kiss, completely lost in the moment. Shinji was amazed. This was not like before. This was real. He pulled her closer, and time seemed to stand still. Finally Asuka slowly pulled back, lowering her head onto his shoulder, sobbing quietly.

He held her. What else could he do? He hadn't expected her to cry like this, he just tried to comfort her.

"I'm sorry," Shinji said. He really didn't know why he was apologizing, but for some reason thought it would help.

Asuka gave a small laugh through her tears.

"For what? You've done nothing wrong."

She looked back up into his eyes, and put her hands on his cheeks. She gave him another kiss, it was short and she was still sobbing.

"I'm going to bed," quietly continuing, "Good night, I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night Asuka."

And with that she walked over to her door, turned the knob and was soon gone.

*********************************************************************************

"Sir we have managed to isolate the green pattern energy source."

Commander Fuyutski turned around, listening intently.

"Go on."

"Yes sir, it appears to be coming from this apartment building here, it's near the western part of town."

Fuyutski knew now what it was. That was Misato Katsuragi's apartment complex.

"What do we know about it so far," the commander continued.

"Well sir, not a great deal, besides the fact that it is almost definitely not human."

*******************************************************************************

Rei Ayanami awoke in a hospital bed. It was cold, and she was wearing a patient's garment. She had separated from Lilith, and was now again living as a human being.

"Why did he give himself away?" She wondered to herself. She was referring to Kaoru. He had been with her during third impact, with her in the sky. She knew that he couldn't have returned, he wasn't human. But why this? Did he really love mankind enough to take Lilith's place on the red cross.?

*****************************************************************************

Asuka lay in bed hating herself. How could she have said those things to him? She felt horrible. And yet, excited as well. She wondered what tomorrow would bring, and yet wished she could be with him right now.

******************************************************************************

To Shinji the dream became more vivid every time he saw it. His mother drifting away, telling him to let go.

"I need you mother!"

"No Shinji you don't, you aren't a child anymore. You have her now, and she has you, you have the chance at a better life, let go of the past."

Then he saw his AT field leave his body to follow her, like his spirit was trying to go with her, leaving his body behind. The sphere glowed from the outlines of the small hexagons, orange.

Shinji awoke suddenly. He could feel it. It was there. He opened his eyes and gazed before him, marveling at the sphere floating above his hands. 

"Uh…" Shinji could feel his veins bulge. And soon his arms were gushing with blood. He screamed from deep within his being from the pain. The AT field disappeared, re-entering the young pilot's body. Shinji could feel his death close, and he rolled, falling, his head hitting the floor.


	4. Chapter 4: Revelations

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has taken the time to review my story. This is my first fic and it means a great deal to me. I have always loved to write but until know had never found a meaningful way to express it. Anyway I'm sorry for the delay, I had chapter 3 finished but my computer crashed and I had to start it over from scratch. Anyway here we go.

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and references associated with it are owned by Gainax.

Kozo Fuyutski sat at his desk reading through various reports about the status of the Evangelions. He was pleased that Unit 1 had been successfully located and recovered (it was found in a one of Tokyo 3's new lakes), and what remained of Unit 2 was now in cryo-storage. Also China, England, and Russia were now near completion of units 5, 6, and 7 respectively. The commander was pleased to hear of this, for all though there had been no reports of SEELE after 3rd impact, he was still uneasy. 

What was making him even more uneasy however was an incident that had caused Shinji Ikari to be rushed to NERV's hospital. He had been informed that the boy's condition was now stable, and would soon go down to see him personally. He had a theory as to what had happened, in fact he was nearly positive he knew, and wished greatly to talk to the young Ikari.

******************************************************************************************

Asuka Langley Sorhyu lay on the living room couch crying, she had been now for almost two hours. She had heard him scream. It was unlike any scream she had ever heard before, so full of pain. He had tried to kill himself. Slashed open his own arms. Last night he had told her that she was the only reason that he lived. And the very next morning he attempts suicide. She couldn't help feeling that it was somehow her fault, that she had done something wrong. The kiss had felt so right, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It had been like there was nothing else in the world that mattered. But now…How could she face him again after something like this?

*********************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari opened his eyes as he felt his consciousness returning. "Unfamiliar ceiling," he thought to himself, though in fact he had awoken there several times before. He knew that he was in the hospital at NERV HQ, but he couldn't remember how he had gotten there. He did however remember the dream, and more importantly the sphere, and then after that the pain. He glanced over at the plastic window that allowed doctors and other observers peer into his room. He could see Commander Fuyutski watching him, along with the doctor who undoubtedly had saved him. But he began to feel the pull of slumber once again, and soon drifted back to sleep.

*********************************************************************************

Commander Fuyutski watched Shinji silently from behind the plastic observing window. The boy had glanced around briefly, but was now returning back to sleep. It was obvious that Shinji had no injuries on his arms whatsoever, a point that the doctor he was speaking with was undoubtedly finding troublesome.

"What's the boy's current status doctor?"

"Well as you know he was rushed in this morning by Major Katsuragi. She called us from her cell phone informing us of her arrival, saying that Shinji had attempted suicide and was bleeding heavily from the arms and wrists. As you know we keep the pilots blood type stocked in case the need for a transfusion should arrive, and we were expecting its necessity. By the time he reached us he had apparently passed out from the blood loss, and we rushed him to the E.R. Once we got him there however the bleeding seemed to have stopped, leaving only dried blood covering his arms. It was clear, as you can easily see, that the boy had no cuts of any kind on either arm. In fact upon further analysis it appears as if Shinji has lost no blood whatsoever. As you can see his condition is now stable," the doctor concluded.

"Indeed," responded Fuyutski.

The commander continued to question the physician about other aspects of Shinji's health, all of which appeared to be normal. The doctor did however recommend that Shinji see a psychologist.

"Is it okay if I go and speak with him?" asked Fuyutski.

"Well I don't see why not. As long as you don't trouble him for too long, he needs rest," responded the doctor.

"Thank you for you time," said the commander solemnly. 

With that the physician bowed his head and took his leave, off to check up on a certain blue haired patient. Fuyutski walked over to the door into Shinji's room and slowly turned the handle. Shinji heard the sound of the door opening and closing again and was soon awake. The commander grabbed a nearby chair and sat down next to Shinji's bed.

"How are you feeling Shinji?"

"I've been better."

The commander smiled slightly at this.

"Indeed you have. Shinji I have a theory on what happened to you earlier today, and I would like to discuss it with you. However for you to understand what I have to say you must be told some things that are rather confidential. This goes against governmental policy and I need your word that will not discuss what is said." 

He waited silently for Shinji's response.

"I won't say anything.

The Commander nodded. He paused momentarily, gathering his thoughts.

"Shinji it is my belief, and the belief of many others at this agency, that Third Impact was not stopped, but that it was merely halted. I also believe that an occurrence as catastrophic as that of Third Impact was not meant to be so idly paused. Not without consequences anyway. We believe that the event may have caused some problems with the dimensional fabric, possibly even the space time continuum. Either way this would account for many of the bizarre occurrences that are now taking place, such as Lilith's egg existing in two forms, in two different places, do you follow so far?"

"Yes, please continue."

"To understand the nature of your malady, it is important for you to know some details about the human instrumentality project. The goal of the project was to artificially evolve humanity into a perfect, God-like being, by controlling Third Impact. I believe, as do billions of others around the world, that you are what caused Third Impact to halt. However it did not entirely pause so much as selectively continue, and regress at the same time. The majority of Human souls began to descend from Lilith's egg, their AT fields returning to their bodies, and subsequently returned to life. To be more specific, approximately 83% of the population has returned to its original state of existence. However I believe that the other 17% still remains inside of Lilith's egg, and as such, continues to evolve, even as we speak growing closer to existing as a God. The problem is that without the other 83% of the population, this will never occur, and the evolution will never be complete. Do you understand?"

Shinji simply nodded, his mind now reeling with the weight of what had been said.

"As I said before, Third Impact has merely been paused, which means that it is possible, whether likely or not, that it can start again. However I also believe that it can at the same time be stopped permanently. Unfortunately as of this moment I do not know the means by which either of these outcomes can be achieved. Now, while some people returned to earth and some people continue their evolution in the sky, I believe that both of these things have happened to you. Your AT field has restored your human body, while at the same time you are now no longer human. I believe that you have been artificially evolved by Third Impact, and are now neither human nor angel, but retain qualities of both. You now exist as new race of creature entirely, giving off a completely independent life force that we have dubbed "Green Energy."

Again the commander paused, waiting for Shinji's approval to continue. Shinji could barely fathom what he had just been told and dignified no response, but the commander resumed his explanation anyway.

"You are of course aware that Evangelions use AT fields externally to protect themselves from bodily harm. You may however be unaware that humans also possess AT fields, often referred to as souls, though they serve an entirely different purpose. The Human AT field is used to separate the individual entity from others, while at the same time holding the body together as a whole. I believe that your AT field now serves both of these purposes. Earlier today you managed to extend your AT field while you were sleeping. However you still possess human frailties, such as bleeding, and your body quickly began to breakdown under the stress, and you subsequently fainted from blood loss. After the trauma had stopped however your system quickly managed to regenerate all of its lost fluids. Which brings us to where we are now."

"I…I…We…"

"Shinji, I know this is a lot, and I will discuss it with you more later, but now you better get some rest," he said sternly.

And with that Shinji watched the commander walk to the door.

"Do not worry Shinji, there is nothing wrong with your health, so the doctors will probably release you in time to go home and have dinner."

Shinji nodded, and collapsed back into his bed.

****************************************************************************************

At the Katsuragi household, two very happy women were preparing a meal. Misato had returned to tell Asuka that Shinji had not attempted suicide. The doctors had told her that Shinji had most likely had some sort of bizarre allergic reaction, possibly a side effect of the trauma of Third Impact. Misato knew this explanation didn't make any sense, but neither her nor Asuka seemed to care a great deal. They were simply happy that Shinji was alright and had not tried to take his own life. Asuka was overjoyed by this last fact, knowing now that it was not her fault.

"Shinji should be home in about an hour, Asuka, so I'm going to run to the store real quick and pick up some more food, okay?"

"Okay, don't be too long."

"I won't," she responded, giving Asuka a hug, and then heading out the door.

After about 25 minutes however Asuka heard a knock and knew that Shinji had arrived early. She took a deep breath, and walked over to let him in. She turned the knob, and swung the door open. 

Shinji was stood in front of the entrance to the apartment looking severely shaken, and somewhat disheveled. He seemed to brighten however at the fact that Asuka had opened the door.

"Welcome back," she said brightly.

"Thank you," he said with a sad smile.

He stepped inside and immediately felt relieved to be home. Asuka closed the door and turned around to face him. Shinji let out a sigh of relief and turned around to ask what was for dinner, but he stopped when he saw the seriousness of the expression on Asuka's face. She seemed to look right into him, at his very soul. She then opened her mouth to speak.

"I thought I had lost you, Shinji," she said slowly.

He nodded. Shinji could only imagine what she had been thinking about after the events of that morning and the night before.

"Me too," he replied.

Asuka smiled slightly, then walked over and pulled him into an embrace.

"Please don't ever scare me like that again," she said as if she could barely hold back her tears..

"I'll try not too."

She nodded, letting the moment speak for itself. After a little while she looked up into his eyes, her features brightening.

"You must be exhausted," she stated, smiling at him. "Can I get you something?" 

He pulled her closer, resting his head against hers, feeling her smooth skin.

"No thank you Asuka," he said with a smile, "I think I'm going to be fine."


	5. Chapter 5: The power of Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other related elements are owned by Gainax.

Shinji Ikari lay sprawled on the sofa watching a movie with the volume turned off. He was unsure of what was going on in the film, but it was worth it to not wake the red head sleeping on his chest. It had been a day since he had returned from NERV's hospital, and he found himself deep in thought. He believed what Fuyutski had told him. He didn't think that the commander would lie to him. But then again what other explanation did he have? 

In truth he was not frightened by what the commander had said about his new state of being, but was rather fascinated by it. He wondered what had prompted his AT field to leave his body, and wondered if it had something to do with his state of mind. Last night had been the first night he had not had a dream about his mother. Last night his dreams had been concerned with Asuka, and they had been nothing like the other dreams he had been having recently.

Shinji stared intently at his right hand, concentrating. He extended his index finger, focusing on its tip. He got no reaction. Shinji sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about his mother. He again concentrated on his index finger. Again nothing happened. "What was it that she had said?" Shinji thought to himself. He tried to remember her words. He had told her not to leave, and she had said something in return, what was it? She had said that Shinji no longer needed her, to let go of the past, to instead embrace the future, to embrace Asuka. He opened his eyes again, looking at his index finger. He flexed his hand, tensing it up. 

"Ouch!" Shinji winced. It was like someone had pricked his finger with a needle. He watched his arm as one of his veins bulged, like it was pumping extra blood to his hand. Then he saw it appear. It was very tiny, a small glowing orange hexagon that appeared centimeters in front of his outstretched finger, like a shield. Excitedly he jammed his finger down on to the coffee table. His hand was stopped by his outstretched finger, by the tiny glowing shape. He smiled, not seeing his wrist drip blood down on to Asuka's shoulder. 

"I did it!" He said, waving his hand into the air. Blood splattered onto the white walls of the apartment as he did this, and Shinji realized it was time to stop. He released the tension in his hand, letting his tendons relax. The AT shield quickly disappeared, returning to his body, while Asuka stirred next to him. Her eyes opened slowly, and she rolled over, her chin digging into Shinji's ribs.

"Hello Shinji."

"Uh," Shinji attempted to hide his hand, "Hello Asuka."

"Um, Shinji, why does your arm have dried blood on it?" She asked, expecting a cover up answer, which she got.

"What blood? Oh this, its juice."

"Shinji why are you lying to me, we shouldn't be lying to each other if we are in a relationship like this."

"Relationship?" Shinji was startled, he hadn't really thought of it like that before. He looked into her eyes. She seemed hurt. "Damn it, Fuyutski told me not to say anything," he thought to himself. "Or did he say not to say anything about the black egg?"

"Come on Shinji; is it some sort of secret?" Asuka had now slid farther up Shinji's body, stopping once they were face to face. "God she is beautiful," thought Shinji. He leaned forward, hoping for a kiss. Asuka however clearly wasn't going to go for it, turning her head to the side.

"Alright fine," Shinji said angrily, "I'll tell you."

"I knew you'd come around."

"Actually it would probably be easier if I just showed you," Shinji said flatly.

He motioned to sit up straight and Asuka slid off of him accordingly. They now sat next to each other on the couch, Shinji with his arm and finger extended. He concentrated.

"Well?" Asuka asked after several moments. 

"Hold on a second will ya! Jeez!"

Shinji was becoming frustrated, it wasn't working.

"Well Shinji your either crazy, or are very easily entertained by your finge-"

He kissed her, cutting off her words, his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey hands off you liar!" Asuka shouted shoving him away. Then she saw it. The hand that Shinji had rested on her shoulder was glowing, covered in little orange hexagons.

"How…" She watched mesmerized until she noticed Shinji's shoulder starting to bleed through his shirt.

"Shinji your arm!"

Shinji gasped in pain, releasing the tension in his arm. He felt out of breath, and rolled off of the couch, laying on the carpet.

"Shinji that was amazing!" said Asuka excitedly, "But your arm…"

Asuka moved down onto the ground with Shinji. She began unbuttoning his shirt, while Shinji grunted from the pain. Once it was unbuttoned she pulled Shinji's arm out of his sleeve. His shoulder was covered in dried blood, it looked like a huge scab. She touched it cautiously. The dried blood snapped and began to crumble. Soon it had all fallen free of Shinji's shoulder, as if it had never been there, dissolving as it hit the ground.

Shinji looked up at the beautiful girl on her hands and knees above him. She shook her head and smiled, letting out a small laugh of disbelief.

Misato Katsuragi turned the corner to her living room, hungry for a mid-night snack, but instead stopped and stared at the scene in front of her, which included a shirtless Shinji on the ground with Asuka on all fours over him, as well as blood stained walls.

"What in the hell are you two doing!"

Before either of the two teenagers could respond the telephone rang. Misato checked the caller I.D., it was from NERV. You two are very lucky I have to take this call. She answered the phone, and her face soon turned pale.

"Asuka, Shinji," she motioned with her hand for Asuka to get off of the young Ikari and stand up.

"Both of you get in the car immediately! There is a situation at NERV.

******************************************************************************************* 

Before Shinji knew what was going on, he found himself being loaded into his cockpit, and inserted into unit 01. He thought that he would never find himself in this situation again, but here he was.

"9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Launch!," The countdown was over and he felt the G-force of his Eva being vaulted up the elevator shaft to the surface. The doors opened soon afterwards and Shinji found himself standing in the center of Tokyo 3.

"Shinji can you hear me!" Shinji glanced at his monitor to see Misato speaking to him. He could also see that Commander Fuyutski was present, as was Aoba, Hyuga, Maya, the rest of the staff, and Asuka. 

"Yes I read you Misato."

"Good, we are detecting a massive energy source currently on its way towards you."

"Roger that," Shinji said in response. It was late at night, and he couldn't see very far due to the darkness. He noted that Lilith's egg was looking more ominous than usual. 

Inside the command center Misato was becoming increasingly worried. Shinji's sync ration was at a perfectly flat 0%. And on top of that, the command center was receiving no readings of any kind from unit 01. Shinji, however, had never before felt so comfortable in his Eva. It felt like he was in perfect control. He darted forward, ducked, and then darted left again, testing his mech's responses. It was then that he saw it.

It was about the same size as an Evangelion, maybe a little bit larger. Its arms were large and dangerous looking, while its legs were tall and skinny. It was armored entirely in black, except for its shoulder blades and its hands which were white. What really set it apart from anything Shinji had ever seen before was its face. It looked as if the creature was wearing a samurai style kabuki mask, made entirely out of what appeared to be a purple fog. Its eyes were large black slits where the gas did not pervade. There was one thing about it though that Shinji did immediately recognize, the tell tale red jewel on its upper chest. It stopped walking when it spotted Shinji.

Shinji reached for his knife, pulling it from its sheath and holding it ready to strike. In response, the creature reached behind its back and produced a long spear. Shinji took a deep breath. Things were about to become interesting.

The creature began to charge and Shinji followed suit. It was like a game of chicken. Once it was in range the beast took a colossal swing of its spear, aiming for unit 01's right temple. Shinji countered with his knife, deflecting the blade to the ground. The creature stumbled from the transfer of inertia and force, its blade hitting the pavement. Shinji took advantage of the moment, dealing a sharp kick to the monsters ribs, sending it flying. Shinji stood his ground and watched as the creature pulled itself back up. Hoisting up its spear, it took aim squarely at Shinji. The beast pulled back and let the spear fly, like an arrow. Shinji could see what was coming and was ready, he held out his arm, extending his AT field. However no AT field came, and the spear impaled itself through Shinji's left arm.

Shinji screamed from the pain, unit 01 falling to its knees. 

"What happened to my AT field! Command can you hear me!"

"Yes Shinji we copy."

"Why doe-"

That was all Shinji managed to say before the creature planted its knee in Shinji's face. Shinji crashed into a nearby building. He looked up in time to see the next blow coming this time, and nimbly rolled to the side, the creature crashing into another building. It turned around and both combatants were now on their feet. Shinji's left arm hung limp off of his body, useless. The creature charged with a vicious right hook. Shinji countered it with his right arm, and then ducked a punch from the creatures left. With the creature off balance Shinji violently twisted his body to the right, allowing his limp arm to swing around and whip the creature in its neck. The beast bellowed, and Shinji gave it a vicious kick to the jewel in its chest.

For a moment Shinji was able to collect his thoughts as the beast again was sent sailing through the air. "Why did my AT field malfunction?" he asked himself. The most probable reason dawned on him as the beast re-entered the fray. "Unit 01's AT field is probably now activated the same way that I activate my own."

The creature managed to get its claws into Shinji's right shoulder. Shinji let out a scream as much from pain as from adrenaline. He reached up and grabbed the creatures arm, pulling it free from his armor, and then twisting it around. Shinji hit the creature in the face with its own fist, but was unable to block the beast's roundhouse kick. It hit him directly in the side of the face and he hit the pavement.

"Shinji get up, quick!" he could hear Misato yelling over the intercom.

Shinji extended his arm to push himself back up, but it was too late. The creature grabbed him with his right arm, putting him into a suffocating headlock. Shinji couldn't move a muscle. There was nothing he could do. Nothing except die. Die in battle, it was an honorable death. Shinji quickly dashed the thought from his mind. "I'm not done yet, I cant die, I wont, I must live, for her.

"Misato!"

"Yes Shinji?"

"If I were to be ejected, how far could you launch me away from the creature?"

"Well we…"

The creature tightened its grip and Shinji felt his neck and shoulders begin to give way.

"HOW FAR!" Shinji was screaming now.

"About 2 miles max if we use your Eva's reserve energy."

Shinji nodded. "That would be enough," he thought to himself.

The pain was now becoming nearly intolerable.

"When I say so I want you to eject me, understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Shinji!" he could now hear Asuka's voice over the com, "Don't die Shinji, oh God please don't die!"

Shinji could see Asuka over the intercom screen, she looked frightened beyond reason, as if she was about to die alongside him. Shinji would not let this be the last time he would see her. 

"I love you Asuka," Shinji said, his vitals beginning to fail.

"EJECT NOW!" Shinji screamed with the last of his energy. He thought only of Asuka, focusing all of his energy on her, surrounding his plug with his own orange AT field. 

The force of being ejected at such a high velocity shocked Shinji's system as his plug, protected with the very life force of its pilot, was launched out of his Eva, through his assailants red Jewel, and into a nearby department store, where it finally came to rest.

The creature howled with the pain of being pierced by the AT field hurled through its innards. It fell to its knees, both hands covering the hole in its chest. Then, mere seconds afterward, the beast erupted in a massive, fiery, death.


	6. Chapter 6: Question and Reassurance

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other related elements are owned by Gainax.

He had told her he loved her. Was that true? In truth he wasn't even sure what love was. Shinji Ikari sat at a park bench, watching the birds squabble over food left on the ground, sitting and thinking. He had been released from NERV's medical center about 2 hours earlier, but had yet to head home. He had defeated the creature that had attacked the city through an act of monumental desperation. Shinji knew he had been very lucky. What was worse was that it seemed to Shinji as if he had been using Asuka. Using the feelings she had shown him to save his own skin. Had he brought those feelings about? Was it what he had said that had made her kiss him? He was starting to get the notion that nothing like this ever would have happened if he hadn't told her that he lived for her. Can you fall in love with someone merely due to the fact that they express love toward you? He couldn't deny that he did enjoy being around her, but was this really her? Before she had been horrible too him, all of the time. This made Shinji feel as if it were all merely physical attraction, how could he have had feelings for such a total bitch any other way?

"God damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it." Shinji slammed his fist into the bench. It hurt a great deal and Shinji told himself how stupid he was for having done it. It was true though, she was the only thing that Shinji had to live for, which really wasn't saying much. Why had he sacrificed perfection for a girl that he had hated most of the time? He laughed, he hated himself more. Why am I even asking myself these questions? Why can't I just be happy? She is a beautiful girl that wants to be with me! Why am I having all of these thoughts? Mother…why did you go? 

Shinji looked at the ground as he began to feel the tears come. Why does life have to hurt so much? He choked on his tears at this last thought, smiling slightly, laughing at himself. "For being the next step in humanities evolution I sure as hell haven't changed much."

**************************************************************************************** 

Toji Suzahara stepped off of the train and looked around. He could smell the wonderful fresh air again. And what a beautiful day. In fact Toji didn't think it was possible for anything to discourage him today. He had finally been released from the hospital, his leg and other injuries making miraculous recoveries. When he returned from Third Impact it was like his body had never been injured in the first place. He had left a message on Shinji's answering machine. He had thanked him for bringing him back, and said that he would like to hang out sometime before school was to start again. He, like everyone else, had viewed Shinji save humanity, and he figured he could use a friend. He had also seen the battle footage taken from the day before, but he wasn't afraid. School was still a couple of days off, and there was plenty of time for fun.

***************************************************************************************

Asuka looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, thinking about the events of the previous day. 

"He loves me," she said to her image, smiling. Asuka knew that she was beautiful, as conceited as she knew that sounded, but love was more than that. Shinji had seen through all of the horrible things she had said to him, never giving up on her, not even in the twilight of his death. Is this how love is? She had rarely been nice to Shinji since they had met. She couldn't, this would show weakness, it would show need. Asuka knew that her own ego absolutely prevented her from needing help, from admitting that she wanted to be with him.

"I suppressed those feelings for so long," she trailed off, still looking at herself. If this was what love was, seeing through all the bs, accepting someone, all of them…She decided that she liked it. It had truly shocked her to here those three words from Shinji. Before she would have mocked him, calling him childish, immature. But now she could sense that he meant those words. Did she love him? It was true that Asuka had thought about him almost constantly since Third Impact had ended. Truth be told, not all of those thoughts could be dubbed "appropriate" either. She laughed at this, who would have thought that Shinji would end up together? Who would have thought that I would like it so much?

**************************************************************************************

Misato Katsuragi sat across from a very serious looking Kozo Fuyutski. They were in his office, discussing some of the analysis readings that had been done on the Black Egg. It was now apparent that it was impossible to launch an attack on it. It was surrounded by a constant AT field that Fuyutski said was likely made up of the AT fields of the humans trapped inside.

"Major, I have some news that you may find distressing, especially after the yesterdays attack," Fuyutski said.

"Oh?"

"The technicians have noticed a slight decrease in the power ratings from the egg. We believe that this was caused by the destruction of the creature. We also believe that the creature was made up of exactly 1% of the earth's former population. If this is correct, that means that the sphere now contains only 16% of humanity now trapped inside."

"That really doesn't sound like bad news commander."

"Well, Major, if what I have said is true, then that means that there is likely to be 16 more creatures, 16 more attacks."

"Oh…I understand," Misato was solemn now, "What do you think is the goal of the attacks?"

"The most likely objective would be to finish Third Impact."

"And how would they achieve such a goal?"

"I believe that third impact could be restarted if Lilith was re-summoned."

"How would they go about doing that?"

"What is left of Koaru is crucified down in terminal dogma; I believe if the creatures were allowed to reach him, they could finish Third Impact."

"We are going to need more than just Unit 01 if we have any chance Commander."

"I know. I'm working on that right now."

Misato nodded.

"Oh, I do have one more question." Misato said tentatively.

"What's that Major?"

"It's about Rei, what's her status? I know that she has yet to leave the medical level."

"Yes that is true. At this point there hasn't been any improvement, but the doctors still say there's a chance the paralysis is only temporary."

*************************************************************************************** 

Shinji slowly walked the stairs up to the apartment. He still felt very tired, both from the battle, and a night of bad sleep at the hospital. He reached the top of the stairs and walked to the apartment door. He stared at the handle for a moment, then reached out and opened the door. He walked inside and saw Asuka sitting on the couch. She had been reading a magazine, but upon his arrival had quickly gotten up. "God she is beautiful," Shinji thought to himself.

Asuka walked right up to him, not taking her eyes away from his for a even a moment. Shinji said nothing, his thoughts from the park still on his mind. Asuka said nothing either, her lips now upon his. Shinji was amazed at how wonderful it felt. Like everything was going to be fine, it was comforting. He forgot all of his pain when she kissed him, all of his sorrows, all of his reason. It was like an era of peace, for a land that had only known war.

At last she pulled away and leaned her head close to Shinji's ear.

"I love you too," she said.

***************************************************************************************

Rei Ayanami lay quietly in her hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. She was concentrating very hard, trying to move her legs, if not only for the reassurance that she would walk again. She sighed. It was no use; all the struggling only exhausted her. She wasn't sure why she wanted to leave so badly, normally she wouldn't have cared. But it was different now, she felt different. Rei had been feeling altogether changed since she had returned from third impact. She kept feeling strange urges. Urges to leave, to run around outside in the sun, to live. For the first time in her life she wanted to be out and around people, but that was impossible now. She would most likely never walk again. What was it this was called? Irony? Or was it poetic justice?

******************************************************************************************

"I'm such a fool," Shinji thought to himself. He looked across the dinner table to see Asuka smiling at him, with Misato chugging a beer to his right. "She is more than I could have ever hoped for." Shinji felt as if his thoughts had betrayed her. The kiss was so pure, so full of life. Love. Shinji hadn't had anyone that loved him around since he was five years old, before his mother died. "Why am I struggling so much with the concept of me loving her? It's either I do, or I don't. These feelings…Why else would she have such a profound affect on me?" Shinji knew how much he thought about her. Indeed he felt like being around her most of the time, she had changed a great deal since third impact. What had happened? He decided that he would have to talk to her about his feelings. "Do I even have the guts to do that?" Shinji questioned himself, "I'm such a coward."

*****************************************************************************************

After dinner Shinji helped Misato wash the dishes, while Asuka reclined on the sofa. When they had finished cleaning, Misato said her goodnights and quickly went to sleep. It had been a long day for her. She had spent much of it talking to foreign administrators about the transportation of the new Evangelions, as well as their pilots. However as soon as she hit her pillow she was asleep, leaving Asuka and Shinji to their own devices.

********************************************************************************************* 

Shinji walked slowly over to the couch. Asuka saw him, and scooted over to allow him to sit. Once he had done so, she laid down again, using his leg as a pillow, watching the ceiling fan spin. Shinji sat for what seemed like hours, trying to muster up the courage to ask Asuka some of the questions that had been running through his mind. His thoughts were interrupted however when Asuka chose to break the silence.

"Shinji, did you think that you were going to die fighting that creature?"

Shinji pondered the question for a few seconds before responding.

"Not at first I guess, but once it pinned me the thought crossed my mind."

"Is that why you told me you loved me, because you thought you might not make it back?"

"Well, not exactly…"

"Don't you think it is strange that humans hide there emotions so much? You wouldn't admit to loving me until you thought you would die, I wouldn't admit it until you did it first." She laughed.

"No it's not like that, I knew I wasn't going to die."

"How?" She asked, her tone very serious.

"Because I refused to let that be the end of things, I refused to die without seeing you again."

"I think somebody up there must like you Shinji."

"Maybe so. I'm a little confused myself."

"Oh?"

"These feelings."

"What feelings?"

Shinji choked. To late to back down now. Grin and bear it Ikari.

"My feelings for you."

"I see."

She looked sad. He hated seeing her sad, he hated hurting people; his very existence seemed to bring pain to others.

"I've never really felt anything quite like this before. I really haven't had anyone close in this way since I was a small child, before my mother died."

"I know what you mean Shinji. Were actually not so different, you and I. Are pasts are remarkably similar. We just chose different ways to deal with the pain."

Shinji nodded. It was true.

"Asuka, did you always like me?"

It was now Asuka's turn to pause. What the hell? She loved him and he had said the same, what did her stupid pride have to do with any of it now?

"Yes, I suppose I did. I envied you too. My own stupid personality prevented me from showing you any kind of affection."

Shinji's heart swelled at this response. She had liked him all along.

"What about you Shinji, did you always like me?"

Shinji nodded.

"Why Shinji? I was so horrible to you."

"I guess certain things are just more powerful than words. I can't quite describe it."

Shinji knew now that he did truly love her, his questions had been answered, there were no doubts left in his mind.

"Asuka, you give me strength. Strength to live, I don't know if I would have ever found happiness if I hadn't met you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm not just saying that either. To tell you the truth, whenever I extend my AT field I only think of you, of being with you."

"So that's how you survived the ejection."

Shinji gave her a confused look, but she quickly explained herself.

"You told me you loved me. Did that give you the strength to protect the plug with your AT field?"

Shinji smiled at her.

"Yes."

"Love must be a very powerful thing," She said with a hint of a smile.

With that last statement Asuka sat up and faced Shinji, pulling him into an embrace. Shinji wrapped his arms around her warm body, one hand on the back of her head, the other on her side.

"Yes, Asuka, I think so too."


	7. Chapter 7: Arrivals

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated material are owned by Gainax.

Kozo Fuyutski was happy to see that for once everything seemed to be on schedule. All of the new Evangelion units were supposed to arrive in just over 24 hours. However because of a lack of pilot talent, only one of those new units would be able to be immediately utilized, the Russian made unit 07. Its pilot was expected to arrive soon after the Evangelion, just in time for the new school year. The English unit 06 was to be modified with the remains of unit 02, in hopes that Asuka would have an easier time synching with it. The Chinese unit 05 was to remain on standby for the time being, in case of an emergency. Actually that course of action would only occur if Toji Suzahara refused to pilot again, or if Rei Ayanami failed to make a full recovery. The commander had also received a report of the possibility that the Japanese headquarters would be receiving a fourth, top secret Eva currently in development at an undisclosed location. But that would remain to be seen. Fuyutski looked down at his watch. It was almost time for his meeting with the 3rd child.

**************************************************************************************** 

Damon Robinson looked out the window to catch one last glimpse of San Francisco bay. This was it; he was now on his way to Japan, to real combat, no more sims. He didn't think that he had ever been so excited in his entire life. And on top of it all, he would be fighting alongside humanities new savior himself, Shinji Ikari. His father, a Christian minister, was probably just as excited at this fact as he was. Like many other devotees to the Christian faith, his father believed that Shinji Ikari was a new messiah. His dad thought Shinji was God's gift to the human race, God's chosen warrior to combat the evils that humans had brought about. Damon wasn't sure if he believed all of that, but he was glad to see his father so happy. After his mother passed away he had become depressed, but now seemed to find new happiness through his work as a minister. "If Shinji is some sort of new messiah what does that make me?" Damon wondered. "I guess that means that I'm an apostle." He smiled to himself. He expected to be a real aid in Shinji's fight. The third child had always seemed to be a cut above the rest of the Evangelion pilots, but Damon was ready to provide him with the expert backup he needed. Especially with his Evangelion, Unit X.

Damon hoped that things wouldn't be too awkward when he arrived. From what General Thompson had told him the Japanese had no idea that Unit X even existed. In fact only a handful of top American administrators knew of its existence either. Hell the People at the Nevada NERV institute hadn't even known. "Hopefully word of my arrival will reach Tokyo 3 before I do," Damon mused to himself, "All of this top secret stuff is so unnecessary." Damon knew that the reasons behind all of the red tape were valid though, even if he thought they were unlikely. The president and the rest of the white house were worried that a terrorist group might try to seize unit X if the information went public. And that, Damon knew, would be very, very, bad.

********************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari entered the NERV headquarters feeling extremely happy. He had just finished spending the day hanging out with Toji Suzahara. He was so happy to see his old friend again after what had seemed like years. He was actually excited about the prospect of returning to school at this point. He couldn't wait for Kensuke to return to Tokyo 3. It would be just like old times. Life was so good right now. He even had a girlfriend! "Who would have thought?" Shinji chuckled to himself. He was even starting to get used to the media attention, although a lot of it was annoying. The really crazy part was some guy with a death wish had actually videotaped his last battle. Shinji whistled to himself. "Now that's committed journalism."

Shinji entered the elevator, and punched the button to head down to the commander's office. He watched the buttons light up as he continued to head downward, wondering what the commander had to tell him this time.

************************************************************************************* 

Commander Fuyutski watched Shinji Ikari open his office door sheepishly and sit down at his desk. He smiled.

"Good afternoon Shinji."

"Good afternoon Commander Fuyutski."

"Shinji I'm going to get straight to the point. You fought an amazing battle the other day, and I am proud to have you piloting. However you were victorious in a very unorthodox way. I doubt that you will be able to win again in that fashion."

Shinji frowned.

"Yes sir, I know sir."

"Good. Because I do have an answer to the new threat of the Wraiths."

"Wraiths sir?"

"Yes, we have dubbed the new creatures Wraiths. A wraith is like a ghost. These creatures are like ghosts of humanity."

"Creatures? So there is likely to be more."

Fuyutski nodded.

"There will almost certainly be more. In fact it is likely that there will be 16 more."

"I see," Shinji said sadly.

"Indeed. This brings me to my next point. Shinji you may have noticed that your attacks didn't seem to be causing much harm to the creature. Did you notice this?"

Shinji thought for a moment.

"Yes I did."

"There is a reason for this. Shinji, when you battled the creature you felt as if you were in perfect control of your Eva, correct?"

"Correct."

"That is because unit 01's soul is now gone."

Shinji looked shocked even though he was trying hard to not show his feelings. "Mother…" Shinji thought to himself, "The dream makes sense now."

"Shinji you felt like you were in perfect control because you were literally sharing your soul with unit 01. I believe it is your physical evolution that has allowed you to do this. While having that level of control is good, it also has a drawback."

"Which is? I mean, Oh?" Shinji didn't want to sound disrespectful.

Fuyutski glared at him a moment before choosing to continue.

"Your Eva's abilities now also reflect your physical status. And I mean no disrespect when I say this, but you're not the strongest person I have ever seen."

"Oh…"

"This is also why you were struggling to activate your AT field. Think of it like driving a car: you used to drive an automatic, now you drive a stick."

Shinji had never driven either, but he understood what the commander was saying. Fuyutski could see the look of disappointment on the boy's face.

"However there is no reason to fear. I have designed a workout regime for you with the help of the medical staff. It also includes a special diet. You will be granted full access to the NERV weight room and other facilities. Also, you are to begin learning various martial arts styles, which will no doubt help you in battle. You see Shinji while piloting may be harder to do effectively now, you have also been given the opportunity to become far faster and stronger than the other pilots are capable of matching. You are very lucky to be given this chance to improve."

Shinji had a blank expression on his face.

" Wait,…What!?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"Uh,… No sir."

"Good." You should also know that I am cutting your school electives so that you can concentrate on your training. You will now only attend your core subjects."

Shinji nodded. "Is he serious?" The third child could barely believe what he was hearing.

"Also, we are getting 3 new Eva units in tomorrow, along with 1 new pilot. I would like you to be here at noon to meet her. Is that understood?"

Shinji nodded again.

"Good, you are dismissed."

With that Shinji got up to leave. Soon after the third child had left the office, Fuyutski's telephone rang.

"This is Fuyutski."

The man on the other line was talking on a cellular phone and it was hard to hear him through the static.

"What was that?" Fuyutski questioned.

"I said, apparently the Americans have a surprise for us."

"What kind of surprise?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

******************************************************************************************

Once Shinji Ikari arrived home, he still had a confused expression on his face. Asuka didn't seem to notice. 

"Shinji guess what! There having a new Evangelion modified just for me!"

When she didn't get the response she had hoped for she looked at him strangely.

"Shinji? Is everything okay?"

"Uh ya, that's great Asuka."

"Yah it is…," she trailed off, "what did Fuyutski tell you?"

"Apparently I'm leaving school early to work out and learn martial arts."

She laughed at this until she noticed that Shinji still had that weird expression on his face.

"You're not joking are you?"

"Nope."

****************************************************************************************

Nishka Zalomai stepped off of her transport jet, and boarded a small bus that was to take her to the next plane. The new terminal was small, but that was fine for her. It was probably small because only special military personnel used this terminal, hence a lack of a need for large space. As she entered she could feel the air conditioning contrast the temperature outside. The only person in the terminal was a tall boy with brown hair and sunglasses holding a cardboard sign. It read "Nishka." She walked over to him with a sarcastic smile, the sign was hardly necessary, she knew where to go.

Damon Robinson was shocked at how pretty she was. In all the movies back home they always made Russian girls look ugly, probably backlash from the cold war, but Nishka Zalomai was definitely not ugly. She had long legs, coupled with blue eyes, long white blonde hair, and a perfect figure. He whistled.

"I hope you speak English cuz' I sure as hell don't speak Russian," He said with a friendly tone.

"Good morning to you to, Damon was it…?" She said with a questioning smirk.

"Why yes, yes it was."


	8. Chapter 8: Soldier's Oath

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters, names and related materials are owned by Gainax.

Shinji Ikari stood shoulder to shoulder with Damon Robinson and unit X. He surveyed the expanse of Tokyo 3 from the towering stature of Unit 01. Everything was peaceful now, but that was about to change very soon. Shinji had spoken with the American boy only briefly before sirens began alerting the arrival of the second Wraith. Shinji turned in his cockpit to glance at the classified Eva next to him. Structurally it seemed to be built in much the same way that unit 01 and the other Eva's were, but it was its paint job that really set it apart. Unit X was painted jet black from head to toe, with white stripes running up its legs and across its arms. Its chess too was striped with white, and the stripes were accompanied with smaller red tinges and outlines. The spinal column on its back protruded some as well, much like how the spikes on some dinosaurs appeared. All in all it looked like a massive skeleton. The only part of its body that wasn't colored in black, white and red, was the palms of its hands, which were orange. Shinji was unsure of the reason for this, and speculated that it had something to do with the special abilities unit X was supposed to possess.

Shinji was nervous. In fact he was more nervous than he usually was. He had not yet been able to receive any of the special physical training that he and Fuyutski had discussed, and was worried that he would be too weak to survive this battle. He cradled his rife and sighed aloud.

"You okay Shinji?"

Shinji could see the American boy on his monitor.

"Just a little nervous I guess. I almost didn't make it back last time, and i'm wondering if my luck might have run out."

"Ahh. I see. Maybe you did get lucky. And maybe you got lucky killin' all those other Angels that you fought too. But I doubt it. Some of that, if not most of that, has gotta be skill and heart," he said with a serious, reassuring town.

"I guess well have to see," Shinji said less than confident.

"I wouldn't worry. Last time you were alone. Now ya got me. I've been specifically trained to fight these things. Look, I have played through VR sims of every single encounter that you have had with the Angels hundreds of times, and have a sync ratio of 89.7%. Coupled with the most powerful Eva available to the modern world, along with you, Shinji Ikari, the most efficient Eva pilot ever…" he trailed off, "Lets just say I think we can deal."

Shinji smiled at this. The vote of confidence was nice, as was Damon's positive attitude, but he knew that the American boy was as green as they come. He chuckled, "this guy's a daisy fresh rookie."

"VR huh? Things get a little different during the real thing. You never know what these things are gonna do, no two ever fight the same way. All I'm saying is stay on your toes, and don't get cocky. If we live through this maybe you'll know why I get so nervous," Shinji finished, now with a confident grin.

"Duly noted, Shinji, Duly noted. Just know that I got your back. And I don't mean to freak you out, but I have also been prepared for, and trained too, take a bullet for you in a life or death situation. Think of me as a sort of personnel secret service, as long as were up here, I'm ready to fight these things to the grave, even if it means my own life."

Shinji was shocked to hear these words from the young man next to him. "How can you be so willing to die?" The thought pounded in Shinji's mind. "He said he was willing to die to protect me?" Before Shinji had the chance to dwell more on this topic unit 01's censors picked up on the second wraiths approach.

"Shinji, Damon!" Misato's voice boomed over the intercom. "Get ready, here it comes."

The second Wraith stood tall, armored in black and silver. It was rather plain really, almost human in body structure, but Shinji supposed that was to be expected considering that it was made up of human AT fields. Its face was shaped like an oval, with three glowing circular red eyes. Two smaller ones on the top, a large one lower down on its face. Instead of hands it boasted twin cannon-like apparatures on the end of its wrists.

Shinji hoisted up his assault rifle, centering the beasts head in his sights. "Here we go again," he thought to himself.

Unit X however was doing something completely different. It held one of its arms horizontally across its waist, the other hand vertical in front of its face, with only the middle and pointer finger extended. It then brought its hands together as its orange palms began to glow. Soon It had extended its AT field in front of it, but that was not the remarkable thing. The remarkable things was that unit X had formed its AT field into a long, evil looking katana blade. Damon held the weapon menacingly in front of him.

"Ready Shinji?"

"Yah."

"Alright, let's do this!"

The wraith pointed its arm cannons forward, sending an explosive arc of glowing bullets strait at the two Evangelions. Shinji rolled left, while Damon rolled right, and the battle was finally under way. Both pilots continued running in the opposite directions, the creature now following each of them with an arcing barrage from each outstretched hand.

"Alright Shinji, get ready to take a shot," Damon yelled, halting his run. The Wraiths barrage finally caught up to Unit X. 

"Are you crazy?!" Shinji yelled.

The bullets headed straight for Damon, who, in an incredible show of skill, began deflecting the bullets with his AT sword. Angered, the Wraith took its other sight off of Shinji to focus both cannons on the sword wielding pilot.

"I can't do this forever man, if your open take the shot!" Damon said, strain now in his voice.

"Right!" Shinji centered on the creatures face and pulled the trigger, leading the bullet stream to the eyes. The bullets seemed to bounce off of the large red orb, but Shinji quickly punctured the right eye. Liquid spewed from the damaged cornea, as the beast let loose an ear shattering scream, as it re-focused its aim on Unit 01. 

"Oh Shit!" Shinji knew he could not deflect the creature's rounds like Damon could.

"Shinji, hit the deck!" Damon shouted over the com as he began to circle behind the Wraith.

The bullet streams both arced horizontally, as Shinji dove for the pavement below, rolling forward behind a nearby building.

"Damon I'm pinned!"

"Hold on I'm coming!"

Shinji could see that his partner was not going to make it in time. "Damn it, Damn it…" 

The bullet streams now dropped vertically down towards the earth, focusing on decimating Shinji's cover and the Eva behind it. "Okay, decision time Ikari" Shinji told himself. He reached for his knife as the bullets hit the top of the building. Acting quickly Shinji threw his knife to the left, the sun catching the blade, as Shinji dove the opposite direction a split second later. The trick had worked. The Wraith shot the knife out of the sky, giving Shinji the split second he needed to get up and moving again. Moments later Unit X sunk its blade into the back of the Wraith.

"Take that, you ugly bastard!" Damon crowed victoriously. However the young American spoke too soon as the creature swung its elbows around, catching him in the side of the face.

"Damon move!" Shinji yelled frantically as the Wraith turned fully around, its guns now centered on the bladeless unit X.

"O god, o god, o god, o god…" Damon was worried now.

Shinji emptied the rest of his clip into the back of the creatures head, but his bullets did little but distract it for a brief moment. Damon saw his opportunity, diving through the Wraith's legs while at the same time retrieving his blade. Shinji ran in a circle, trying to catch an open shot at the beasts face. What he did get however was an arm cannon pointed in his direction as the other swiveled to get another lock on Unit X. The bullets were catching up to Unit 1, and again Shinji dove, this time for one of Tokyo 3's new lakes, while loading a new clip mid air. The Evangelion entered the water, loading, and exited assault rifle blazing as Shinji struggled to keep himself moving. Soon afterward, however, Shinji saw his shot as he and Damon rotated past each other in opposite directions. The Wraith was forced to untangle its arms to keep its shots on target, while Shinji seized the moment of confusion to empty the rest of his clip into the monsters other small eye. The Wraith let out another screech, this time clutching its hands to its bleeding face.

"Here we go," Damon mumbled. Unit X was now behind the second Wraith, and Damon raised his blade. Moments later he jammed it through the back of the creature's skull, exploding through the remaining large red jewel on the front of its face.

"Yes!" Damon yelled triumphantly.

"Move quick, that things about to go nuclear!" Shinji shouted in response.

"Gotcha!" Damon yelled back as he ran clear, leaping into a nearby lake.

****************************************************************************************

Back at NERV, Shinji quickly escaped his cockpit and stepped free of his towering combat unit. He felt excited, like he could take on the whole world, the depression that he usually felt after a battle gone. He could see Damon leap clear of his cockpit as well.

"Man what a rush!" He said, his expression widening to a grin, "You, Shinji are the man."

Shinji smiled. 

"Your not bad yourself for a rookie."

"Ouch, man, that hurts," Damon said clutching his heart, his smile still widening.

The doors to the eva launching bay soon slid open as Asuka ran in with the Russian pilot trailing behind her. She immediately ran up and hugged Shinji.

"Glad to see your okay," She said looking as if she had worried a great deal.

"Me too," he said smiling.

******************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari finished changing out of his plug suit and headed for the exit of the locker room.

"Hey, Shinji, wait up a second."

Shinji stopped walking as Damon ran to catch up with him.

"Hey man, we did it!"

Shinji nodded back. Damon extended his hand and Shinji shook it. But when Damon didn't let go, he looked him in the eyes.

"Shinji, this is us man, right here," he motioned to their hands, "partners, soldiers, friends."

"Partners, soldiers, friends," Shinji said confidently back.

"That's right man, you and me are gonna kill every damn one of those Wraith bastards, we aint gonna give up until this world is safe again for all those people that are counting on us," Damon said, now with a serious tone.

"Yah, agreed," Shinji said in return.

"Oh come on man say it like ya mean it."

"Hell yes we are!" Shinji said smiling again.

"Damn strait!" Damon said, breaking the hand shake.

The two boys continued walking down the hallway, until Damon again broke the silence.

"Is it just me or is every girl here gorgeous."

Shinji laughed at this.

"Especially that red head," Damon said, whistling after he said this.

"Yah well that red head happens to be my girlfriend," Shinji said somewhat agitated.

"For real?"

Shinji nodded.

"Dang man, nice work."

Shinji laughed again.

"Thank you," he said.

"Hey man," Damon said putting on his sunglasses, "You're welcome."


	9. Chapter 9: Loss

Disclaimer: I do not own evangelion. All characters and other aspects are owned by Gainax.

"Rei…I'm so sorry."

Shinji Ikari sat beside Rei Ayanami in the NERV infirmary. 

"Please, don't be sorry it's not your fault."

Shinji had tears in his eyes now. He knew that she would never walk again. It was so sad. "Why her?" "Why not me?" 

"What can I do Rei? I don't want things to be this way."

Rei looked into his eyes. He was crying, and she now felt as if she knew why.

"I guess all you can do is hope."

*******************************************************************************************

In truth Shinji was enjoying his new physical training. If anything it helped him keep his mind off of the pain. It had been about a week now since school had started. He had talked to Rei and felt horrible for her condition even though he knew it wasn't his fault. The truly horrible blow had come on the first day of school. It had started normal enough. He had walked to school with Asuka and met Toji at the entrance. Nishka was there already to greet them, and Damon seemed to be attracting lots of pretty girls. However once class had started Shinji noticed that neither Hikari nor Kensuke were present. Soon afterward the teacher announced that both students had not returned post third impact. At first Shinji hadn't believed it, but he knew deep down that it was true, he could feel it. Toji had subsequently run out of the classroom in a fit of disbelief. Shinji had followed him soon afterward. He had found Toji in the boy's locker room. He had tears in his eyes, and he had broken one of the large mirrors. His fist had pieces of glass in it, but he hadn't seemed to notice. They both had just sat there for a long time, until they were located and the school counselor had sent for them. The counselor gave each of them a stupid pamphlet about dealing with the pain. On the way home he and Asuka hadn't said much. They had stopped on a park bench and sat. After an hour or so Asuka had decided to go home, but Shinji had said that he wanted to stay for a while. She left, and he continued to sit. After a few minutes he stood up, shaking with rage and sadness. He had extended his AT field like a blade, and cut down a large tree with a single swipe. When he finally arrived home his arm and shirt were bloody. Misato was frightened, but Asuka simply had simply hugged him. It had made him feel better knowing that she understood and was there for him.

Shinji had just finished his last set of the day and left for the locker room. The weight lifting was only one third of the program that he was on. The second part was actually taught by Damon. He had been told that Unit X functioned in largely the same way that Shinji's own body was now functioning. Unit X had complete control over its AT field, this function allowed Damon to summon weapons such as the Katana he had used against the second Wraith. Damon said that Shinji could most likely do the same sorts of things, and had suggested to the commander that he be allowed to work with Shinji to try and develop his powers. Damon had gone through extensive training with a psychiatrist and personal trainer to be able to manipulate the cutting edge technology contained in Unit X. The psychiatrist was employed to profile Damon and help him discover the thought patterns that activated the technology, while the physical trainer was around to help him actually manipulate it. 

Shinji entered into the room where he and Damon normally practiced. The American boy was already there, hooked up to an elaborate VR machine that allowed him to simulate combat in his mind. The program allowed him to practice manipulating his AT field without actually being in his Eva.

"Hello there Shinji." Damon shut down the machine and slowly stepped out of it.

"Hello Damon."

"You ready to get to work?"

Shinji nodded, and with that they began. Damon was currently teaching him how to form specific objects out of the AT field. It was extremely difficult work which involved total concentration on the object, as well as the thoughts that allowed manipulation. When they first started Shinji had said that he wanted to be able to form a Katana like Damon could. He was getting closer and closer every, but he still wasn't quite there. Damon had told him that it was like riding a bicycle. Its had to learn, but once you do you never forget. He had said that once Shinji was finally able to create the blade, he probably would never have trouble doing it again. Shinji couldn't wait for that to happen. The other frustrating thing was the fact that he could only practice in small increments or his body would begin to break down.

"Ahhh….Shit!" Shinji swore as the orange blade in front of him began to disintegrate as his arms began to bleed.

"Alright man, we should probably call it a day," Damon said with a look of concern.

Shinji nodded and let out a sigh of frustration. The blood was already scabbing, and would soon after disappear entirely.

"That looks like it hurts," Damon said glancing at Shinji's arms.

"It does, but I don't think it hurts as much as it probably should. I figure that my adrenaline from trying to concentrate so hard kill some of the pain."

"I see."

The two boys sat in silence for a while, Shinji resting, Damon thinking about all the pretty girls he had met in the last week.

"Damon?"

"Yah?"

Shinji paused for a moment.

"What do you think about when you manipulate your AT field in your Eva?"

Damon laughed.

"I'll tell ya, but you got to promise to tell me what you think about when you do it."

Shinji hesitated. What he thought about, no, who he thought about, was deeply personal to him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to reveal that much about himself. He was still somewhat embarrassed about how deeply he loved Asuka. He figured other people would have a hard time taking him seriously because he was so young. He didn't want Damon to think less of him. But in truth, despite his rather gung-ho personality, Shinji knew that deep down he was a really serious guy.

"Okay."

"Alright then. This may sound kinda stuck up but it's the truth. When I manipulate my AT field, I think of all the people back home that are looking to me to protect them, the people who put there faith in me to save them. I can't let them down. And so I'm trained and prepared to do anything to make sure the worlds safe for mom, God, and apple pie," Damon concluded with a faint smile, "that is what I think about."

"That isn't stuck up at all, it's noble."

Damon shrugged.

"I guess."

Shinji was hardly surprised that this was his answer. He had after all sworn an oath with him to protect the people of earth by killing every last Wraith. Shinji smiled. Compared to what Damon had said, his own thoughts about Asuka seemed selfish.

"Alright," Damon was smiling now, "Now you gotta tell me what you think about."

"I think…" Shinji trailed off.

"Think what…?"

"I think about Asuka."

To Shinji's surprise Damon nodded approvingly.

"You really love her, don't you?"

"Yah."

"That's great man. To be able to tell someone that…you did tell her right?"

"Yah I did."

He whistled.

"What a mind job. To just know that a certain girl is "the" one. I envy you man. You're like a knight in shining armor, fighting for your lady fare."

Shinji laughed.

"Yah I guess so." 

************************************************************************************** 

Shinji finished his training with Damon and changed back into his regular clothes. He was starving and couldn't wait to get home to dinner. He was exhausted these days from all of the new exercise, and tomorrow it was going to get tougher. A martial arts master was supposed to arrive from Osaka the next morning to instruct Shinji in various forms of combat. He was both excited and apprehensive at the same time. He glanced at his arms; after only a week of training he could already see that he was growing stronger. He smiled with the thought of him being big and strong, but then frowned soon afterward when he thought about the fact that he would never see Kensuke again.

When he arrived back at the apartment he was disappointed by the fact that Asuka was not there. Instead Misato had come home early and was busy cooking dinner. Shinji groaned. Misato's cooking was always instant, and always bad.

"Hello Misato."

"Oh! Hello Shinji. I'm glad to see you home. How was school?"

"Fine. Uh, where is Asuka?"

Misato smiled at him.

"She went with Nishka to check out where she is staying."

"Oh, okay then. Uh dinner smells good," Shinji lied.

"Really? Thank you!"

*******************************************************************************************

Asuka Langley Soryu couldn't believe how lucky Nishka Zalomai was. Because of a shortage of a living space in post third impact Tokyo three, the two new pilots got to live in the Tokyo 3 university dorms. And they weren't the bad dorms either. In fact they were quite nice, but that wasn't really why Asuka thought that Nishka was so lucky. Asuka thought she was lucky because she not only didn't have an annoying guardian like Misato, but she got to live in a college environment without the stress of actually going to college.

********************************************************************************************

Damon Robinson couldn't have been happier either. There were plenty of pretty girls at the college, and he felt that he looked fairly old for his age. His room was next door to Nishka's and he was hoping to get to know her better as well. He had spoken to Toji Suzahara more lately as well. He seemed like a pretty nice guy, but his life had been shaken deeply with the loss of one of his best friends and his girlfriend as well. Toji seemed to hold a bit of a grudge on Asuka as well. Damon couldn't really tell why, she seemed pretty nice to him. Plus Shinji was head over heals for her. Damon laughed.

"Lucky bastard," Damon said quietly. He put his sunglasses on, and found a toothpick to chew on. He figured it was time to go cruising. See what was to be seen. Do what was to be done. He found that he hadn't really gone exploring around the city. He had always wanted to go to Japan, but now that he was here it seemed that he really had not taken advantage of what the city had to offer. He looked around for his gun. The American government had insisted that he carry it for his own protection and for that of Shinji and the other pilots. He had a special diplomatic badge to carry it, and even so he was the only person who could fire it. The safety was coded with a password, and the trigger could not be pulled if his fingerprints didn't match it. He didn't like carrying it. But if the government said so then he would. They were of course very worried about terrorist acts, and the military had a lot of money invested in him. It was somewhat sad. He felt as if he had grown up to some extent before his time. But that was alright if it meant saving lives. And Damon Robinson found nothing more satisfying than saving lives.

***************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari sat in his room in total darkness. He concentrated on the blade, concentrated on her. He could see the tell tale glow began to seep from his hands. Soon the room was awash with orange light. Shinji concentrated hard on his task, trying to mold the bizarre object in front of him into a blade. He could feel his veins begin to tense up again, but he did not look at his arms. He was far too close now. And soon the task was done. The sword gleamed perfectly in front of him, hovering above his palms in the light. Shinji's arms had relaxed, he had not bled. The 3rd child smiled. He had done it, and it was perfect. 

***************************************************************************************

Asuka walked into Shinji's room, confused by the fact that it was in darkness. Shinji stood there, in the center of the room, his back to her. She caught a faint glimpse of something orange slide back into his palm. "He must be practicing using his AT field," she thought. She was glad to see that there was no blood.

Asuka walked up and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head against his back.

"How was Nishka's place?"

"It was fine."

Shinji turned around and faced her. He laid his forehead against hers, black hair intermingling with red. He was looking down at the ground.

"There not coming back are they, Asuka?"

"No," she said, "no they're not." 

Asuka had tears in her eyes.

"I'm really going to miss them," he said.

"Me too," she said, her voice now choked up.

He placed his hands on her shoulders as she looked him in the eyes.

"Well," Shinji started, "I guess we just have to be strong."

She nodded with tears in her eyes. She placed her hand on his cheek, trying to smile. Shinji pulled her close, so that there bodies were now touching, as he placed his arms around her waist. He concentrated on her, on the way he felt for her, allowing his AT field to extend from every part of his body. Soon the warm glow had encased Shinji entirely, and was soon after spreading around Asuka. Shinji kissed her just as she was fully wrapped in his AT field. The German girl had never felt anything quite like it before. Shinji's AT field felt like a warm breeze blowing all around her. It sent chills through her body, though she was neither cold nor frightened. It was almost like a world that was made only for them. After a while Shinji broke off the kiss and let his field settle back into his body. He bled slightly from his cheek, and he was surprised to see that Asuka's cheek bled ever so slightly as well. Neither of the two really cared. They both just looked into each others eyes knowingly. There souls, there very life forces had been brought together, even if it was for only a few minutes. 

"That was unlike anything I've ever felt before. It was amazing. I can't quite describe it."

Shinji seemed to be in deep thought.

"Asuka, whatever happens, as long as we have each other…"

Asuka nodded.

"It's alright Shinji. I know."

He nodded silently as he pulled her close again, letting his actions speak for him.


	10. Chapter 10: Deal with the Devil

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other references are owned by Gainax.

Damon Robinson hadn't opened his eyes yet. Instead he tested his arm gingerly. He felt a cast.

"Broken…bummer."

"What does that mean? I don't speak English."

"Eh?" Damon opened his eyes, and took a quick look around. He was in the NERV hospital. He looked to his right to see a blue haired girl watching him patiently. 

"Uh, it means my arm is broken and I'm sad," Damon said back to the girl. "Wow. That is one pretty girl," he thought to himself.

"I see," the girl responded back in a quiet, almost timid tone, "Um, if you don't mind me asking, how did you break your arm?"

Damon thought about that one for a moment. "Oh yeah, that's right…God I'm dumb sometimes," he thought.

"I actually broke it grinding a skateboard down a big staircase at school."

"I see. So you skateboard then?"

"Uh, no not really. I did in like 6th or 7th grade. I figured I could still do it well enough."

"I see. But why did you do it?"

"Yah,…I was…Showing off to impress some girls," he admitted slowly. "Man I am so dumb," he thought again.

She smiled at this. It was a warm smile, yet at the same time sad. Like she found it amusing, yet at the same time she was far too sad to laugh. Damon found himself intrigued, though he was always intrigued by pretty girls. But this one seemed deeper than most. 

"Do you mind if I ask why you're here, uh, I seem to have forgotten your name…" Damon said this knowing full well that she had never said her name.

"It's Rei, Rei Ayanami."

"Well I'll be damned," he thought.

"You're the first child aren't you?"

Rei nodded.

"Yes I am. And you are?"

"Damon Robinson, CWD Marine operative, 7th child and…," he hesitated for a moment, and then added "Gemini."

"What's CWD?"

"Classified Weapons Division."

"So you're a pilot too."

"Yup."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Damon."

"Yah, pleasures all mine."

"Uh, forgive me for saying this Rei, but you look kinda nervous."

It was true Rei was actually quite frightened. Fear was another emotion that was new to her.

"I'm going in to surgery later today," She said after a moment.

"Oh, I see. Surgery on what?"

"Um,… my legs."

"Oh. Well I wouldn't worry about it. You're gonna be asleep anyway. So you won't feel anything," Damon said assuredly.

Rei nodded, not really feeling any better. However the conversation continued to flow. Damon forgot to ask why she was in the hospital or what was wrong with her legs. He was too occupied trying to find out all that he could about her. Her story was really quite fascinating. "Why the hell did Shinji not tell me he had a sister?" he asked himself. "Better yet, why did Shinji not tell me he had a hot, single sister?" He shook his head. When Rei had finished telling him about her life, Damon began to relate the story of his life to her, which admittedly was just as abnormal. He had attended military academies for the early part of his life, and then once he was picked for the Eva project he had had a personal tutor. His education had included much more than just math and English however. He had mastered stealth tactics along with combat training with almost every modern weapon imaginable, not to mention AT technology. He was fluent in English, Japanese, and Arabic. He could also speak passable Vietnamese and Spanish. He had been trained heavily in urban warfare as opposed to terrain combat. This training included extensive knowledge of vehicles that he might have to utilize, such as cars, motorcycles, and civilian speed boats. And of course Evangelions. When he had finished with his personal history they began to talk of other, less important things. 

Eventually Rei glanced up at the clock on the wall. They had been talking for nearly 2 hours. She was happy to pass the time with her neighbor, but knew that she only had ten minutes left until the operation.

"My operation is in ten minutes. The nurse will probably come to get me soon," she said sadly.

Damon could see a nurse through the window rolling a gurney down the hallway towards their room.

"Hey, don't worry Rei, every thing is going to be fine."

Damon leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"That's for good luck okay?"

Rei blushed, putting her hand on her cheek. She looked over at him and smiled. The nurse arrived and quickly loaded her up to go to the operating room. She wheeled Rei out the door and in front of the window. The first child locked eyes with the seventh child as she was wheeled away. Damon shivered. He also realized that he forgot to ask her what the operation was for.

He leaned back in his bed and whistled to himself, wishing he had a toothpick to chew on as images of the blue haired girl floated around in his mind.

"Wow."

*****************************************************************************************

Kozo Fuyutski sat at his desk rifling through various paperwork. He was currently working with his team to try and predict when the next Wraith might arrive by recognition of power signatures in the black egg. They had been unsuccessful so far, but he was hopeful.

"Dr. Sagura to see you sir," The commander's secretary said to him over the comm..

"Okay, let him in."

Dr. Sagura entered the room slowly. Fuyutski motioned for him to sit, and he did. Sagura was a tall and skinny man, going slightly bald now. He was one of the top practitioners of medicine in the entire world and the commander both liked, and respected him.

"I assume you're here to tell me about the outcome of Ayanami's operation?" The commander asked.

Sagura nodded.

"So," the commander continued, "Was it a success?"

Sagura nodded again.

"Yes it was, but I doubt we had anything to do with it."

"Oh?" Fuyutski motioned for the doctor to elaborate.

"Everything was going normally. We had her prepped and ready to go, and we began to put her to sleep. About thirty seconds afterward however, just before we began to cut, she started to spasm. We attempted to stabilize her but nothing was working. She soon after began bleeding profusely from the legs for unknown causes. We attempted to stop the bleeding, but an orange light began to emanate from her body, and then before we knew what was going on she got off of the table and walked out of the room before collapsing in the hallway. However when she awoke she remembered nothing of the incident."

"I see," The commander collected his thoughts, "but she can walk again correct?"

Sagura nodded.

"Commander is there something I'm not being told here?"

"Any thing you are not told is classified for your own protection."

"So yes then."

Fuyutski smiled.

****************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari swung the steel rod around in his hands, alternating between left and right spins. The bar was heavier than an actual combat staff would be, but that was to make him stronger. Master Xiang watched him silently from across the room, assessing his every movement.

It had been two months now since Rei's operation, and she had made a full recovery. Shinji was extremely happy to get her back, much more so than probably anyone else she knew. He considered her the only family that he had left, and tried to spend as much time with her as possible. She had changed greatly from the times when they had fought the Angels together, though you wouldn't know it from her demeanor. On the surface she seemed the same. She had the same cold looks, and sad voice. But now you could see life in her eyes. She was awash with activity and hated to be bored. She spent time doing anything she could, and almost never alone. It was like she wanted to make up for the time she had lost in her youth. Shinji was happy for her, though he was a little surprised that she seemed to spend as much time with Damon as she did with him. But he was fine with that, in fact he was happy for her on that account as well.

His relationship with Asuka had suffered somewhat since Rei had returned and she had lost Hikari. He knew that she felt neglected since he had been spending so much time with Rei. The loss of Hikari had also affected her profoundly. He had hoped that Hikari's loss would at least improve her relationship with Toji, but they were now fighting even more. Nishka and Asuka were at least becoming good friends, and Shinji knew that she needed a good friend. However he could tell that Nishka was pained to see her lash out at Toji, and he was as well.

The Evangelions were at least all up and running now, with Rei ready to go and Asuka's new Eva completed. Shinji was surprised that there had not been an attack in such a long time seeing as there were two so soon after third impact. But he knew that there had been years between the first of the Angel attacks and the ones that he had taken part in.

Shinji himself had also changed a great deal as he had begun to come to grips with the scope of his power. There was in fact not a lot that Shinji could not accomplish with his abilities if he took the time to learn. And learn he did. In fact, his mind seemed like it was now unable to forget. Shinji found that when master Xiang showed him what to do he rarely forgot it, and never failed to accomplish it. His physical appearance had changed as well. He had let his hair grow long so that it now nearly covered his eyes. He had become more muscular, and Shinji had noticed that he was growing taller as well. He had learned quickly the ways of the sword. Though Xiang would in no way call him a master, Shinji knew that he was remarkably good, no matter how much his master tried not to inflate his ego. In truth the idea that he could realize almost any physical goal he wished was somewhat intoxicating. His newest trick was to extend his AT field off of his feet, allowing him to vault up into the air. But that wasn't the task that Shinji was the most proud of. He felt that his senses had become heightened all around, most notably his vision. Xiang had shown him how to calm his nerves in battle, to better concentrate on the task at hand. The old man had shown him how to predict bullet trajectories by watching the movements of your assailant's muscles. This was something that Shinji practiced everyday in VR. He wasn't perfect at it yet, and if several people were firing at him he was better off running, but Shinji figured he could easily defend against two men with pistols.

Shinji glanced at the clock on the wall. It was past time to go. In fact it was probably dark now.

"Master Xiang?"

"I know. You can go."

"Thank you."

**************************************************************************************** 

"Commander!"

Fuyutski turned around to face the bridge.

"Yes."

"We have reports of two Wraiths on approach."

"How much time do we have?"

"I'd say about half an hour until they reach the city."

"Get on the comm, I want all of the pilots in the briefing room immediately."

***************************************************************************************

The five Evangelion pilots now found themselves in Commander Fuyutski's office along with Misato.

"Two of them?!"

"That's right Asuka, there are two of them," the commander said.

"Has this ever happened before?" Nishka asked timidly.

"No, but we have to remember, these things aren't Angels, there something new. And as such this situation is no different. In fact only one of the Wraiths is large enough to be safely combated by the Eva's. The other seems to be the size of a human being, and is currently at a nightclub downtown," Fuyutski said, there was no humor in his tone.

"What are our orders?" Asked Rei.

Misato was the one to respond this time.

"Rei, Asuka, and Nishka are too combat the approaching Wraith in the Evangelions. Shinji and Damon are too take down the other one. These creatures cannot be killed by conventional weapons, therefore Shinji's abilities will be indispensable here. Damon you are to provide back up to Shinji."

"Excuse me for saying this Major Katsuragi," Rei said, "But would it not be smarter for all of us to concentrate our firepower on one of these creatures?"

"Yes Rei, normally that would be the best course of action. However the two creatures are reading as largely the same Wraith, but located in two different areas. We believe that they may be linked in some way, which makes it necessary to try to take them both down at once."

When Misato had finished the commander turned to Shinji and Damon.

"It will be best if you avoid making a scene at the club. So put on something nice and try to get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible."

"But were too you to just walk in commander," Shinji stated.

"I know. That's why I am authorizing you to use any means necessary to get inside."

*********************************************************************************************

"So I have to kill this guy?" Shinji said, thinking out loud.

He and Damon were in the locker room, getting ready to go.

"Don't think of it like that man. This isn't a person, it's a Wraith. Remember that. He is trying to do the same to you."

"Does that justify murder."

"It's not murder if he isn't human."

"I'm not human."

Damon turned and shoved Shinji up to the locker.

"Get a goddamn grip Shinji! I know you don't want to do this, neither do I. But if you don't Asuka will die. Rei will die. Everyone will die."

"So we kill so that others can live."

"If that's how you want to think of it, then fine, but it's not like were the ones attacking them man."

"No. But it was humans who created them; they are the result of what humans have done."

"Look Shinji, think whatever you want. All I know is that I will cover you, and if that means killing then I will. All you have to do is get the Wraith."

Shinji nodded. Damon finished loading his clip and inserted it into the gun. He put the weapon into his coat and turned back to Shinji.

"Partners, soldiers, friends," Damon said locking eyes with Shinji.

"Partners, soldiers, friends.

****************************************************************************************** 

Asuka, Rei, and Nishka stepped out of the geofront to gaze at a darkened city. Rei stood tall in the blue unit 05, Asuka in the modified unit 06 (complete with red paint job), and Nishka in the white and green unit 07.

Misato Katsuragi's voice boomed over the comm.

"It's best if you guys hurry and engage it before it reaches the city, that will buy Shinji more time. It's still about 10 minutes out so get a move on. The location is on your monitor."

"Roger that," Nishka said with a serious tone.

"I wouldn't worry Misato. This is nothing I can't handle, let alone three of us," Asuka said with confidence. 

"I'm glad to hear your enthusiastic but don't get cocky. Who knows what that thing is capable of," Misato answered back.

"Alright here we go," Rei said solemnly as the three pilots began their march toward the target.

*******************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari and Damon Robinson walked to the front of the line at the outside of the club amidst angry shouts from the people they were cutting off. The bouncer at the front surveyed them wearily. He had seen these types of people before. They were both dressed entirely in black, trying to act as important as possible, when it was obvious that neither was old enough to get into the club. There was a shorter Japanese kid, and a taller suspicious looking foreigner wearing a trench coat and glasses while chewing on a toothpick. The foreign kid was smiling as he approached. It was obvious that he was hiding something in the coat, though he didn't seem too worried about it.

"Most people have to wait in the line gentlemen. In fact most people have to be 21."

"I apologize but me and my friend here have business inside," Damon said, motioning to Shinji.

"I doubt it," the bouncer answered in return. "At least these morons were polite," he thought to himself.

"We don't want any trouble, and it's urgent that we get in, so I was hoping that you could overlook any infractions," Damon said, producing several large bills from his pocket. Fuyutski had suggested that they try bribery first. The bouncer's demeanor changed notably after this. He reached out and grabbed the bills, quickly counting them. The man nodded.

"Go ahead."

Damon nodded back as he and Shinji stepped inside. The volume of the music leaped out at him. He could feel the bass all the way into his bones.

"Damn man, this place is nice."

Shinji glared at him.

"Lets go."

They walked around the dance floor and grabbed a booth with a good view of the club.

"So where is he?" Damon asked.

"On the left over by the bar."

Damon could see a man with long white hair that looked like he was in about his mid-twenties. 

"How do you know that's him?"

"It's him. I can feel it."

"Okay."

********************************************************************************************

Nishka swung hard with her right hand trying to hit the creatures face. She missed and the Wraith countered with a gut kick that sent her to the pavement. She got back up and made a slight retreat so that it could not continue its attack. 

The creature itself was bizarre. It looked frighteningly like a SEELE eva, except its arms and legs looked like they belonged to a human. The Wraith was fast, and it took all three female pilots attacking at once to even land a hit. Then when they did manage to land a blow, it was like it had no effect. Nishka and Rei had begun shelling it with their rifles to little effect, while Asuka charged with her spear. She made a violent stab at the creature's chest but it again dodged out of the way. This time it was not so successful however, and Asuka managed to get the spear through the monsters arm. 

Asuka gave a triumphant yell only to see the Wraith pull the spear from its arm and try to re-use it on her. She managed a safe retreat, but also noticed that the Wraith showed no arm wounds whatsoever.

"Misato?"

"Yes, Asuka go ahead."

"Tell Shinji to hurry."

********************************************************************************************* 

"We know what you are. So don't try anything stupid, okay? I wouldn't want to blow your skull out in front of all these innocent people," Damon said pushing the muzzle of his gun to the man's back.

The man silently raised his hands into the air and stood up from the bar.

"That's right, easy does it," Damon said nervously, "Head to the door on your right."

Out of the corner of his eye Shinji could see three men dressed in white stand and reach into their coats.

"Damon get down!"

By the time Shinji had said this, the men had produced pistols and began to fire. Like lightning Shinji had his blade up and ready. He watched them fire, not moving as the first two bullets missed him. The second and third he managed to deflect, sending them into the glass liquor bottles at the bar. Damon hit the floor and rolled behind a nearby booth. Seconds later he popped up and fired 5 shots at his attackers. They all hit there targets, but he was surprised to see the affect. The men evaporated like steam when the bullets hit them. Damon then realized he had let go of the Wraith. The people in the bar were now screaming and running, trying to get out as quickly as possible, the sound of the guns echoing in their ears. In the confusion both boys saw the Wraith run for a nearby window.

"Shit! There he goes!" Damon yelled trying to go after him while being jostled by the screaming people. The Wraith jumped through the glass window, shattering out into the alleyway beyond. There were more men in white entering the club now, as well as at least 200 hundred innocent people running around like crazy.

"I got him!" Shinji yelled, leaping through the window after the Wraith. He cut his shirt and arm slightly on the glass on his way through, but barely felt it in the excitement of the moment. He looked up to see the foot of the Wraith swing over the awning onto the top of the building.

"Shinji wait!" Damon ran for the window but was again forced to take cover as a new volley of shots was fired towards him. His pistol was empty and there was no time to reload. He discarded it and reached into his coat for his MP5. Luckily he had a clear path to the rear exit. Seconds later he broke cover and ran for the door. More shots rung out and he saw a man next to him get hit. 

"No!" He snarled. He hated seeing innocent people die. But he dared not return fire or he might kill one as well. He reached the door and swung around the hallway as he emerged to the outside.

*********************************************************************************************

Shinji extended his AT field off of his feet and launched himself from side to side up the alley wall. When he reached the top he began to sprint after the escaping Wraith along the rooftops.

"This is crazy," he said to no one as he jumped to the next building. "Man this guy is fast" Shinji thought as the Wraith reached the next building and positively flew up a 20 foot wall to get to the top. Shinji followed suit, again using his AT field to launch himself up. This time however he could feel the strain on his body, and noticed the cut on his arm. He reached the top of the building and began running again, wondering how long he could possibly keep this chase up.

****************************************************************************************

"Bingo," Damon said as he saw one of the civilians who had escaped from the club start a motorcycle. "I'm sorry for this man" he thought as he threw the man off of his bike and leaped on. He hit the gas full throttle and let the back tire swing around as the smell of burning rubber hit the air. He could see in his mirror that the men in white were running to the exit hallway he had just come from. He turned and opened fire with his gun, nailing three of them into mist. While the remaining four got into two cars.

"Time to go," Damon mumbled to himself as he gunned the bike out onto the street. He could see Shinji running after the Wraith on the roof, and headed north to parallel them. The surprising thing was they both seemed to be going nearly as fast as he was. He turned sharply through a red light narrowly missing a honking car and tried to keep his eyes on the road, the Wraith and the people chasing him in cars all at the same time. Then he saw his opportunity as the Wraith made a leap across an alley to another building. He hit the brakes, going into a slide as he aimed his gun. He squeezed the trigger and got the desired affect. The Wraith missed the ledge, and fell back down onto the ground. Damon however had taken his right hand off of the bike and lost control of the slide. He was thrown from the bike and hit the asphalt on his back. Pain like nothing he had felt before shot up his back as he slid to a stop next to the sidewalk.

******************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari saw the Wraith take a bullet to the shoulder and immediately miss the jump. He followed suit, landing on the ground with his sword extended. In moments he had the blade to Wraiths throat.

"Wait…please…don't," the Wraith said to him as he tried to catch his breath.

Shinji hesitated, and then saw four men in white step into the alley entrance.

"Call them off," he said.

The Wraith nodded and the four men evaporated into the air.

Shinji's radio sounded. He put it to his ear while leaving his eyes on the man in front of him.

"Shinji," It was Misato, "Asuka and Rei cant hold out much longer. Nishka is already down. The Wraith there fighting is seemingly invincible. We believe that you must kill yours first before they have a chance to take down theirs."

"Right," he said back, placing his radio on the ground. He raised his blade.

"I can bring them back you know," the Wraith said.

Again Shinji hesitated. 

"What?"

"I can tell you really miss them."

Shinji stared at the cowering man below him.

"Hikari and Kensuke correct?" The Wraith continued, "Look if you let me go, I'll call off my ally that your friends are fighting right now."

Shinji still did not respond. "Was this for real?" he thought.

Again the Wraith began to speak.

"All I ask is that tomorrow night we duel one on one. Just you and me on the highest building in Tokyo 3. If you win you get your friends back, and my counterpart becomes killable. 

Shinji's mind was racing. He was being offered the chance to bring his friends back. All he had to do was beat this guy one on one. "But what if I fail? Would the other pilots be able to win the war without me? What about Asuka?"

The Wraith on the ground continued to pant as Shinji mulled over his proposition. "I wont fail. I cant. I can bring them back. I can beat this guy." Shinji's mind was made. The third child let the sword fall away from the Wraith's neck.

"Deal."


	11. Chapter 11: Truth

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All names and other references are owned by Gainax

Before I start I just want to give thanks to everybody who is reading and reviewing my story, and also to ST Pika for pre-reading and support. Here goes:

Renaissance (ren'I-sans',-zans) n.1 A revival: rebirth. –Webster's New Riverside Dictionary

***************************************************************************************

By the time paramedics had arrived it had begun to rain. Damon Robinson had been loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital, once there he would likely be transferred to the NERV infirmary if there was not an immediate emergency. The medical workers had also found a second young boy. His arm had been bleeding but there appeared to be no wounds. When the police showed up to question him he had managed to escape with the use of a special government badge. His face had been somewhat hidden by his hair, but if it were not so he would have been easily recognized by the Tokyo police as Shinji Ikari.

He had just released an enemy whose life had been in his hands. He had been offered the chance to bring his friends back, and had accepted despite what it could mean if he failed in his task. He decided that he should go home and get some rest. Tomorrow would be a big day.

**************************************************************************************

Rei Ayanami and Asuka Soryu stared in disbelief as the creature they had been fighting suddenly disappeared. One moment it had been there, the next it was gone.

"Where…?" Asuka trailed off.

"Rei, Asuka. This is Misato, life readings from both Wraiths have vanished. It seems like they have returned to Lilith's egg. You are to head back to the city immediately."

Rei bent down to the crumbled Evangelion at her feet. Nishka's connections had been severed to keep her alive while the other two pilots continued to fight. Rei picked up its shoulders and motioned for Asuka to grab the legs. They were still a good ways outside of the city, and it would probably help a lot if they carried Nishka's downed eva back with them.

Thoughts were running through Asuka's mind. "Why had it disappeared like that? Did Shinji kill the other Wraith? Was that the reason?" She wasn't sure, but she knew the faster she got back to base the faster those questions would likely be answered.

******************************************************************************************

Koaru Nagisa loomed large and ghostly upon the red cross, deep in terminal dogma. A being of love, and of sacrifice, he had played his part in ending the conflict with the angels, as well as bringing Shinji out of instrumentality. He was still a sacrifice, even now, even in physical death. Though he was an angel, Koaro Nagisa had been a lasting testament to the human will to survive. And soon he would perhaps play his final role; for the end, or perhaps, the continuance of the human race.

******************************************************************************************* 

Shinji had radio'd NERV to say that the operation had been a success. He had lied of course, the true fate of the mission would not be determined until the following night. He had decided to walk home, though that was hardly what he had done. In truth he had leapt up to the roof tops, and had made his way home using his AT field. It was an exhilarating experience. Even if he did fall Shinji was confident that he would be able to block himself from hitting the ground.

By the time that Shinji had reached home Asuka had already arrived. Misato had ordered them a pizza, and had left a note that she would probably be home late if at all. Everyone at NERV was trying to figure out why the power signals from the two "killed" Wraiths were still reading from the black moon.

When they had finished eating Asuka had said that she wanted to go to bed, but Shinji had stopped her, saying that he wanted to talk. They both sat down on the couch, and waited in silence for a few moments. Shinji was trying to formulate the words to tell her about the deal he had made. However Asuka broke the silence first.

"Shinji?"

He looked at her.

"Do you have feelings for Rei?"

Shinji immediately felt bad. He knew that he had been spending a lot of time with Rei, and had known how this would most likely have made Asuka feel, yet he had neglected to talk to her about it.

"No. Not like that."

"Please don't lie to me Shinji."

"I wouldn't lie to you Asuka."

She nodded.

"Then tell me how you feel about her."

"Asuka, it's important for you to understand what Rei is. She is the only real family that I have."

"Family!?"

Shinji nodded.

"I don't think that I really need to go into the specifics of it, but she was created from the remains of my mother, and Lilith. So I consider her my sister."

Shinji could see that Asuka was struggling with this information, but it wasn't for the same reasons that she actually was. Asuka was angry at herself that she had thought Shinji had feelings for Rei. Her old jealousy was still there, though now she was jealous of Shinji's affection instead of his victories. Then the weight of what Shinji had just told her actually hit her. Shinji and Rei were siblings. She probably wouldn't have believed it if not for the fact that she knew Shinji would not lie to her. However before she could think about it further Shinji asked her a question.

"Asuka, if you could, would you try and bring Hikari and Kensuke back even if you knew that you might die?"

Asuka was shocked by this question.

"Shinji…why are you asking me that?"

Shinji reached out and took Asuka's hand, while avoiding her eyes. In truth he was not sure why he had asked her, and now had wished he hadn't. "Was I just trying to find reassurance?" he wondered.

Asuka could see that Shinji was hurting. Something must have happened while he had been out on his mission. She reached over to him and laid her hands on his shoulders, trying to catch his gaze.

"What's wrong Shinji?"

His eyes finally met hers. She could see that there was fear in them; that there was doubt. Shinji couldn't seem to find the words to tell about the deal he had made. Instead he looked away from her. She could tell that he didn't want to talk about it, and if he wasn't ready that was fine with her. She would be there when he was. So instead of pushing the question she simply pulled him close, resting her head on his shoulder. He appreciated her not continuing to question him, and wrapped his arms around her back, enjoying the moment. Eventually Shinji broke off the hug and laid down next to her on the couch. They faced each other, looking into the others eyes. Asuka rested her hand on the side of Shinji's face.

"Asuka. If I don't make it back home one of these days-"

She shook her head, cutting him off.

"Please don't say things like that."

Shinji nodded. He moved closer to her, so that there faces were only centimeters away from one another. Asuka couldn't bear to think about what life would be like if Shinji died. He was all that she had, even Hikari was now gone. She felt like crying. It was almost like Shinji expected to die soon. It was all over him; this horrible sadness, this remorse. She kissed him as her tears began to slowly fall. It was like she would never see him again, though she could not figure out why. The kiss was soft and long; like both of them feared that if they let go the other might be gone for good. 

When the kiss finally came to an end, they both simply laid there. Shinji held her, and she rested her head on his chest. Both of them were soon asleep.

****************************************************************************************** 

Shinji soon became aware that he had begun to dream. He was in a vast room of darkness, with water glistening on the floor. He could here Bach playing in the background, and soon became aware of Koaru's presence. He gave the fifth child a sad smile.

"Shinji, from here on out things are going to change again."

Shinji nodded.

"Tomorrow night your renaissance will be over, your rebirth complete. You will have to choose your future," Koaru said, smiling back with the same sad expression Shinji had given him.

"I know."

"Have you found your answer Shinji? You had so many questions the last time we met. Have you found you purpose? Your meaning? Have you decided what tomorrow night will bring?"

"I have."

"I am happy for you, Shinji."

Shinji nodded back.

"When you awaken things will be different. You will be able to see things with greater clarity; things that you may have been unable to understand about yourself will become more clear. You will be able to understand the decision you have chosen, and the meaning behind the things that have changed your life," Koaru said.

"Thank you Koaru. Thank you for everything."

"You do not need to thank me Shinji. If anything I should thank you. You gave me meaning after all."

******************************************************************************************

Shinji returned to the beach in his mind. The white sand around him, the LCL sea beyond, the girl beside him. In fact he was watching the event take place from another viewpoint, watching it all again. He could see Rei in her school uniform standing on top of the water next to him, he made no effort to speak to her and she made none to him. He just watched. The Shinji on the beach had not woken up yet, though the Shinji watching knew what would soon take place. While he was waiting he began to see other things, the things that had driven him back here; the things that had pushed him to ask "why". To understand. His entire life was passing before his eyes. All that he had ever loved and all that he had lost, all that he had felt, was sprawled out in front of him. It all came flashing instantaneously past his eyes. He could see the moment he decided that Asuka was the only one that could help him, the only one who could save him; the incident at the hospital, then, waiting under the stairs with the JSSDF ready to kill him. His refusal to pilot unit 01, the thing that might have saved Asuka, even though he had decided that only she could save him.

Then he was in his eva in the sky. The pain had become so intense. Then Koaru had appeared. Soon he had lost touch with reality and journeyed through his own mind, searching for his truth. Then he was in the kitchen with Asuka. Begging her to help him, begging her to save him. And then it came. The shove, the coffee pot, the words, the final rejection. And with those words the change had come. The last ounce of Shinji Ikari's psyche had hit the wall; the last piece of his heart had hit the floor.

And then with that it happened. His mind had simply let go. The words of Asuka's final rejection at last pushing his conciousness over the edge. His mind no longer ran, it no longer begged for help. It asserted itself, in its rage, stood up for itself. And in the twilight of its sanity did the only thing it felt it could. Kill. If it was to be rejected by all then there was no point in others existing. And then Shinji's wish had been made. He was there floating in the sea of LCL. Rei was on top of him, looking at him calmly. This was the place where everyone existed and no one existed. Yet now it was no longer his wish. Shinji now saw that at its very essence, the human instrumentality project was simply an elaborate form of running from the problems of the world. It was completely symbolic of humanity giving up; of humanity running away. Instead of people trying to continue to learn about each other (a task that Kaji had told him, and that he knew was impossible to ever truly do), they had accepted instrumentality and given up by becoming both one and nothing. 

However at this point Shinji's mind had changed. It no longer ran. It knew now that running was pointless, for in the end the problem was not solved. Running was no longer his answer. His mind would rather feel the pain of life and solve the problem (even if the solution meant the death of all), then hide from the problem with the idea of the pain forever looming behind it. Rei knew now that his wish had changed, and soon he was lying against her on the ground with Kaoru. They had told him that he could return to the world and end instrumentality. They had said that as long as everyone could find truth in their hearts they would be able to return.

Shinji again saw himself lying next to Asuka on the beach. It was at this moment that the irony hit him. Everyone could return if they could find truth in their hearts. Yet in the whole world only he and Asuka had returned. Shinji could now see through the eyes of his double on the beach. He was now feeling what he had felt then. His mind grabbed onto the first thing that he now knew. "You did it," it said. "You did not run away and you have returned." Shinji knew that he did not want to run away any more. Asuka had rejected him, and she was the only one left, it was now pointless for her to live. He would not run from her either. 

Shinji stood and rolled on top of Asuka. He clasped his hands to her throat and squeezed. This would make him the only person on the planet. 

Then he could see his mother talking to commander Fuyutski. He was a child in her arms. She said that as long as one person existed then eva would be a testament to the fact that humans existed. Only one person was needed. Why had two then returned? It didn't matter. She would be dead in moments.

Then her touch came. Caressing the side of his face. That look of knowing in her eyes. His rage was now gone. Was this the truth? The one real truth? Was this the truth that had brought her back? If so, was it not also the truth that had allowed him to return? He could see the truth plainly now: True love conquers all. It envelops the mind and blocks all else out. In that one instant, that one touch had driven from him all of the doubt and all of pain. It had stopped his urge to kill, prevented his insanity. Nothing else mattered.

So that was it. Was this God trying to show him the way? He understood now. It did not matter if there were millions of people trying to understand each other, or just two people. Was this why only he and Asuka had returned? As long as there are two people left to understand each other, then the chance of happiness, of love, of understanding still existed. It didn't matter that people can never truly understand each other; all that mattered was that people tried to understand each other. As long as the attempt is made the truth could be realized. And in the end, understanding was impossible, because understanding was not the truth. The truth was love. And love could only be reached through the attempt to understand, the want to understand. When those attempts were realized it did not matter that understanding was not achieved, because it resulted in love, the opposite of understanding. Love had no boundaries, no reason, no logic, no purpose other than to be. Just like God. And instead of trying to realize this truth, man had given up. Man had tried to make itself a God through instrumentality, thus not having to experience the pain that the attempt at love might bring. But man was not God. And therefore could not create a new purpose nor a new truth. That was why Instrumentality was just an elaborate way to run; And Shinji's mind no longer ran.

"I understand now. Thank you."

*****************************************************************************************

Revolution (rev'o-loo'shen) n.2 An abrupt overthrow or radical change in a system or state of affairs. –Websters New Riverside Dictionary

*****************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari awoke on the couch where he had fallen asleep. Asuka was still there sleeping quietly, her head still resting on his chest. Shinji could see Misato groggily leaving her room and walking to the bathroom. After several minutes Misato re-emerged from the bathroom wearing a towel and now freshly showered. Asuka stirred, and opened her eyes. She yawned and attempted to squeeze herself in the crack between Shinji and the back of the couch for warmth. That is, until Misato made her presence known.

"Well hello their," she said with a smile.

Asuka immediately sat up straight looking flustered and embarrassed. 

"So did you two sleep well?"

Asuka's face was starting to get very red as she searched for something to say. Misato opened her mouth to crack a joke at the two young pilots, but stopped when Shinji hugged her tightly. 

"Shinji…"Misato did not understand. He had never hugged her before, and when she had hugged him he had always become extremely embarrassed. Shinji reached his hand behind her head and laid it upon his shoulder. He held her there for several moments, with both females in the room very confused (and one slightly jealous).

"I'm sorry about Kaji. I know what he meant to you," Shinji whispered into her ear.

And with that he broke off the hug and headed to the door, leaving Misato in complete shock. He was still in his clothes from the day before, and decided that he did not need to change. Shinji opened the door of the apartment and soon after disappeared from sight. 

Back at the couch, Misato's face had grown pale, her eyes staring blankly. Then Misato Katsuragi began to cry.

***************************************************************************************** 

"And what of Robinson? I understand he took a fall off of a motorcycle."

The commander was in his office speaking to Dr. Sagura.

"Yes he did. Nothing is broken, and there is no serious damage. The skin on his back suffered some minor lacerations, but he was wearing a heavy leather cloak at the time along with some Kevlar armor, so the damage was minimal. He will receive some scarring at worst," The doctor concluded.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that nothing serious has occurred. Can you give me a time frame for his recoverey." 

"It should only be 3 or so day's maximum in the hospital. But he should probably take it easy until the skin completely heals."

Fuyutski nodded.

****************************************************************************************

Damon Robinson again found himself lying in a hospital bed, though this time Rei was next to him of her own accord.

They had been talking for about an hour now. He loved to hear her talk about life. She was like a child talking about the first time that she had done something. Like everything was still new and exciting. She would tell him how she felt about something, and then he would tell her his experience about it. They were currently finishing up on the topic of ice cream. Damon laughed. He hardly cared what they talked about as long as they were talking.

Rei finished what she had been saying and smiled at the boy in front of her.

"You know you really should be more careful. You might not be so lucky next time," she said to him in almost motherly tone.

"I suppose. The important thing is that Shinji killed the Wraith."

"Are you so sure? I would have been just as sad if you had been killed as I would have been if everyone had died."

Damon shook his head.

" No, it's better for me to die and save lives, then for many to die and for me to live."

"Really? I would think that it is equally bad if anyone dies. No one deserves death, and no ones life can be said to be more important than someone elses."

"I don't know Rei…"

"Well. If you had the option to cure all of the worlds disease and save the lives of all of the sick people, but in order to do it you had to kill one innocent child, would you do it? What if you had to kill yourself instead?"

"I…Don't…I wouldn't be able to kill the child," Damon said.

"What about yourself?"

Damon looked at the ground.

"Damon, you shouldn't be so ready to throw your life away. You never know who that could hurt, or the implications of what it might do."

Rei could see that her words had hit home. She glanced at her watch. In a little bit Damon would leave to get his bandages removed, and if need be, reapplied. She remembered when this predicament had been switched around when she was to go to her surgery.

"Damon?"

The boy looked back up from the ground and into her eyes. She walked over to him and leaned down closely to his face. 

"Don't be sad. I'm not mad at you. I just don't want to lose you."

He made a half hearted nod. Then Rei placed her hands on the side of his face and began to kiss him. Damon had not expected a kiss. Especially a kiss like the one she was now giving him. He leaned forward as best he could with his injuries, trying to return the feeling with the intensity that it was being given to him. Then after several moments she pulled away from his lips, though she still kept her face close to his. Damon opened his eyes and could see that Rei was smiling widely. He smiled back, and opened his mouth to say something, but she placed a finger to his lips.

"That was for good luck," she said, remembering what he had told her on the day they had met. And with that she waved good bye and exited the room.

Damon lay back down onto his bed in disbelief, still grinning. He reached over to his bed side table and grabbed a toothpick which he put into his mouth and began to chew.

"Wow."

******************************************************************************************

It was still raining when Shinji reached the front entrance to the Fujahara building. It the held the offices of one of the biggest law firms in Tokyo 3, along with several other businesses. It took him only moments to scale the immense building with his AT field and he was soon at the top. 

As he had expected the Wraith was already there, his long white hair flowing in the wind and rain. 

"You're right on time," The Wraith said to him.

"I know."

The Wraith nodded.

"I brought them as you wished."

He motioned upward at the sky, and Shinji followed with his gaze. He could see Kensuke and Hikari floating side by side, attached to two glowing crosses.

"As promised they will return if you defeat me."

Shinji nodded.

The Wraith reached back into his cloak and produced a sword.

"Shall we?"

Again Shinji nodded, this time summoning his blade from his right hand.

"The humans are mine, Wraith. I will kill all of you if that is what it will take to lead them into the future," Shinji said, his voice and tone unwavering. 

The Wraith smiled back at him.

"I have a name you know."

"Oh?"

"You can call me Shiro," The Wraith said, with satisfaction in his tone.

"Shiro?" Shinji repeated, "Shiro means fourth son does it not?"

Shiro nodded in return.

"I suppose that's fitting considering you're the fourth Wraith," Shinji concluded with a biting edge in his voice.

Lighting flashed in the background and the rain began to intensify. 

Shiro began to remove his shirt, revealing a red jewel on his chest, as Shinji did the same.

"I have to say I've always wondered Ikari. I've always wondered why you stopped third impact."

"I refused to run anymore," Shinji said back without hesitation.

Shiro laughed.

"Is that what you think this is about? Running? I, we, what was it you called us, the Wraiths? Yes that was it. We are here to save the humans from themselves. You of all people must know that humans are far too corrupt and selfish to ever bring about an understanding with each other. And because of this they will only continue to torment themselves and the ones around them until they bring about the end of their own accord. Why make them suffer like this? They might as well receive peace now and spare themselves the pain," Shiro finished, now standing with his sword at the ready.

"You're wrong," Shinji said, "Your simply running away. And no matter how far you run the problem will still be there, still unresolved."

"Fine Ikari, think whatever you want. It makes no difference if you're dead. But let me ask you one more thing: If we are the part of the human being that wishes to run as you say, then what does that make you?," Shiro said with malice glinting in his eyes.

Shinji entered his battle stance.

"That makes me the part that is willing to fight." 


	12. Chapter 12: Downpour

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated material are owned by Gainax.

Okay first off I again want to thank everyone who is reviewing. I got the most reviews I have ever had this chapter and that keep's me writing. I did feel like I wanted to discuss my story a bit. I'm sorry to anyone who has problems with original characters, but I have tried to make them seem as real as possible, as well as give them their own personal conflicts (sometimes I notice ACC's seem to have the same problems as Asuka and Shinji). As far as Shinji starting to head a bit out of character, I'm sorry if this bugs you as well. However as you can see in the last chapter, I dove in depth into Shinji's mind and what I think that "End of Evangelion" was supposed to symbolize. I was trying to justify the actions he was taking by looking at the life altering experiences that took place in the film. I hope I have justified the small changes that I have made, and hope that everyone keeps reading as well. Thank you so much to everyone.

The rain poured immensely down onto the rooftops and street corners of Tokyo 3. Nearly all had retreated in doors to seek refuge from the downpour. There were at least two however, that remained outside.

To Shinji Ikari, it felt as if heaven was close. The sky seemed to be bearing down upon him as he countered the opening blows of a battle he fought over one hundred stories in the air. Of a battle he fought for friendship. Of a battle he fought for truth. 

In reality both combatants were holding back at this point, both merely testing the other. Shinji had discerned from the Wraith Shiro's fighting maneuvers that his style was one of natural aggression. Shinji knew this conflicted with his own, more reserved style of counterblows and defense. They were a perfect match in this way of thought. Shinji knew that fact all to well. With one last deflection Shinji sent his opponents blade tip into the ground. He missed his chance to attack however as Shiro quickly made a retreat to a safer distance.

"Good. Perhaps you will put up a better fight than I thought. However, you seem hesitant," Shiro said calmly.

"Do not act as if you are putting your full force in at this point as well. I am not naïve," Shinji answered back.

The Wraith laughed at this.

"Really? I'm not so sure about that. I can see right through you Ikari. In, fact you really are quite bizarre."

Shinji clenched his fist but made no remark in return, and presently Shiro continued.

"You're a walking contradiction. You intend to enter battle for the lives of your friends and the fate of your existence, yet you are terrified to kill."

"That's not true." Shinji knew that he was lying to himself. Even if Shiro wasn't a human, he was made up of the stuff that made humans. In fact, Shinji knew that this fate was the same for him as well.

"This truth that you have found, Shinji, does this truth justify the death of others? Can you kill in the name of this thing? This Love? Does that justify the death of others? Are you a killer, Ikari?"

"STOP IT!" Shinji yelled. I know what you're trying to do."

The Wraith laughed.

******************************************************************************

Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami sat patiently in the Katsuragi apartment waiting for the arrival of their friends. Normally Asuka would have resented Rei's presence there, but now she felt as if she understood "O'l Wondergirl" a little bit better. However at this point Asuka's mind was on different things. Namely the wherabouts of Shinji. He had  been gone since early that morning, and the downpour had only worsened her worries. So much so in fact that she had decided to organize a search party for him. She had called Rei, Toji (though with some reluctance), and Nishka Zalomai. Misato had not yet left her bedroom after Shinji had hugged her that morning, and Asuka was in truth a little worried about that as well. 

After several more minutes of waiting she heard a gentle knock on the door and opened it to reveal Toji and Nishka.

"I am so happy you guys are here. Are you ready to start looking? Asuka asked.

"Absolutely," was Toji's reply.

"Of course," was Nishka's.

Asuka nodded.

"Now if only we knew where to start. Alright, let's go Rei."

Asuka turned to grab Rei, but found that she was no where in sight. 

"Rei?"

Asuka walked closer to the couch and found the first child lying on the floor. She was screaming silently, holding her hands to the side of her face.

"Rei!" The other children quickly rushed to her side. The fit however seemed to have stopped as quickly as it had begun. Rei sat up, shivering from head to toe. 

"Rei are you alright?" Nishka asked, her Russian accent coming through more profoundly in the excitement of the moment.

Rei Ayanami stood and responded in her old monotone.

"Shinji is in pain."

*******************************************************************************

The third child recoiled in shock, grabbing his right shoulder with his left hand, his blade disappearing back into his body. The first blood had been drawn, and Shinji felt the burning sensation of his cut hitting the wind and air.

"Darn. That wasn't at all deep enough," Shiro said with a smile, "You really are quite fast."

"Bastard…" Shinji panted back, his words lost in the rain and his own breath. He slowly slid to his knees. 

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Shiro drew a small towel from his pocket and wiped the blood off of his sword. He chuckled to himself.

"You see Shinji, this truth for which you fight only brings you pain. I know that you are fighting for the sake of others, but when you die, that will only bring them pain as well. Why not simply live with them forever in peace? Again I find myself offering you the chance at perfection that you so foolishly continue to deject."

Shinji tried his best to ignore Shiro's words as he attempted to pull himself back up onto his feet.

"Not so fast now Shinji, if you don't agree with me this ends now."

Shinji spat.

"Then I guess your choice is death," Shiro concluded as he lifted his blade. Shinji looked up and saw the Wraith drive his steel downward. Shinji however brought up his left arm to meet it, projecting his AT field to block the blow. The Wraith staggered slightly as his weight was displaced, and Shinji seized the opportunity to kick his blade from him. It landed with a clatter by the edge of the building. 

"FOOL!" Shiro yelled aiming a kick at Shinji's face. The young pilot was too fast for him however, and was quickly back on his feet and out of the range of the attack.

"How dare you! You can't win! Don't you get it?" The Wraith yelled back at him. Shinji could see that the Shiro was angry now; his earlier haughty resolve gone. Shinji ran towards him again, swinging with his left hand. Shiro moved to block it, but Shinji pulled the punch at the last moment; instead dropping to the ground to deliver a sweep kick. Shiro quickly saw the low attack and leaped to avoid it, but didn't count on Shinji rising with him. The boy delivered a vicious uppercut to his lower jaw. Shiro fell back from the force; his back hitting the pavement. The Wraith winced as he felt LCL seeping from the fresh cut on his back.

Shinji stood tall ready for the next set of attacks. Shiro moved his hands to lift himself back up, and to his delight his left rested on his blade. He began to laugh maniacally as Shinji realized what his opponent was again holding. 

"Looks like I win after all Ikari. But now that's not nearly enough. It seems your American friend is all alone. It would be unfortunate if he had no back up during an attack."

"You wouldn't do that; it's against our deal."

"I said I would call the third Wraith off. I never said for how long."

*********************************************************************************

The four child search party continued to plow through the flooding streets of Tokyo 3. They had no idea where they were or wear they were going, but knew that they had to try. By this point all concerned were completely soaking wet and freezing cold, but they tried their best to keep up the pace. The children soon reached a crossroads.

"Which way do we go?" Toji questioned the others.

"I'm not sure," Asuka said, trying to think were Shinji might have gone. Suddenly Rei took another fall towards the ground, though this time the Russian pilot was able to catch her in time.

"Rei!" This time her name was yelled unanimously.

Rei gasped and sputtered in the rain. 

"I can see him. He's at the top of a large building near here."

Rei pointed the direction to go with her finger, and the hunt was soon on again. This time however Rei lagged behind somewhat. She lifted her hand to her forehead as she continued to walk after her friends.

"Koaru…?"

**********************************************************************************

The silence of Damon Robinson's hospital room was soon shattered as Commander Fuyutski slammed his door to the side.

"I hope your back's feeling better."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Suit up."

************************************************************************************

Fwip. Fwip. Fwip. Shiro's blade danced back and forth. Horizontal. Vertical. Diagonal. Shinji did all he could to avoid the blows. His arms had begun to bleed and he found that he was unable to summon his AT field. He tried to concentrate on Asuka; tried to concentrate on the truth. Fwip. That time the blade hit home. A horizontal slice to Shinji's right cheek. He gasped as the pain hit him. He could feel his warm blood begin to slowly ooze down his cheek. He felt it. It had barely clipped him, but Shinji knew that he was starting to loose blood rapidly, and every little bit the Wraith could get was slowly killing him. The blade came again, and again. Shinji rolled left, but felt another cut graze his hurt shoulder. He hit the ground just as Shiro ran the hilt of his blade back into the side of Shinji's head. The pain was horrible. Shinji's vision began to blur and he made no effort to get back up.

****************************************************************************

The Third Wraith was the most unstoppable creature Damon Robinson had ever faced in VR or otherwise. He had managed to receive every attack the beast had thrown at him so far, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. "Where is everyone else?" His mind screamed. "Am I the only one out here?"

The Wraith dealt him a shot to the gut and Damon went to his knees. The creature picked up its foot and slammed downward, driving Unit X's face down into the street.

**********************************************************************************

Commander Fuyutski listened in horror as Damon's screams filled central dogma. The American boy was being destroyed. "And why wouldn't he have been?" the commander thought. "All three female pilots had been unable to deal the creature a scratch while working together."

"Aoba!"

"Yes sir!"

"Any indication of where the other pilots are?"

"Not yet sir, but I'm still looking!"

************************************************************************************

The search party finally reached the building that Rei had indicated. They had been let inside after a quick conflict with the security guards. They said that they wanted to go to the theatre on the fourth floor, but it was well past curfew and the guards seemed highly uneasy to let the four teenagers go upstairs. When all else seemed to have failed Asuka showed them her special NERV security badge. The officers didn't seem to be going for that either, but when they saw the chance the kids had made a run for the elevator, and luckily had made it.

Toji pushed the button for the top floor.

"Hold on man, were coming for ya."

***********************************************************************************

Shinji felt the Wraith give him another vicious blow to the ribs, and at last, felt one break. He screamed, and curled into the fetal position.

"And you see, Mr. Ikari, now you will die," Shiro said with a smile as he sat down next to Shinji.

"It really is a pity y'know…"

Shinji began to cough up blood as he listened to the Wraiths words.

"…that now I have to kill your friends in front of you."

Shinji sputtered, trying to talk as he began to cough again; clawing at Shiro's pant leg with his left hand.

"Oh no, no, no. Save your strength Shinji. You'll need it to watch them die."

**************************************************************************************

Damon could feel his body being lifted into the air. The monster had him by the throat, and the American no longer had the strength to struggle. "Is this how it ends?" He felt a wave of sorrow. "I'm sorry Rei. I'm sorry Shinji. Goodbye dad. Goodbye Rei…"

************************************************************************************

The elevator door opened at last as the search party burst out into the pouring rain. Asuka emerged first, followed by Toji, Nishka, and then Rei.

"Shinji?" Asuka tried to find her boyfriend in the rain.

"No! Asuka run!"

Asuka Langley Soryu looked slowly up into the sky, the rain hitting her eyes and making them flutter. She could see the shape of a man descending from the sky carrying with him a blade point down.

***********************************************************************************

Nishka Zalomai didn't think. There was no time. Instead she shoved Asuka to the ground. Instead she felt the pain meant for another. Instead she felt the cold agony of approaching death.

************************************************************************************

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Shinji Ikari was up now, arms bleeding, shoulders sliced, ribs broken, temple bruised, face cut, and sword out. He felt it all again. There he was in his mother's arms. There was his father abandoning him. There was his first time piloting Eva. There was his first meeting with Asuka. There was the moment his sanity broke. There was the moment he knew he loved her. There was the truth. There was his sword through the Wraith's back. 

****************************************************************************************

            Kensuke Aida could see the red jewel burst as his cross began to descend. It spewed LCL forth, splashing the bleeding Russian from head to toe. He felt his feet touch the ground as his invisible bonds began to loosen, and then he was free.

****************************************************************************************

            "Commander Fuyutski we have a lock on the other pilots!"

            "Where! Where are they?!"

*****************************************************************************************

            Damon watched what should have been the instrument of his death falter before the death blow came. It was like the creature had been struck by an invisible force.

            "Is this how you wanna go down Robinson?" He said out loud to himself.

            Damon rocked backward in the Wraith's choke grip and with the last of his strength slammed the feet of Unit X through the red jewel. The crimson sphere burst in a backwards firing explosion as Damon felt his Eva's feet hit the ground. 

            "Looks like I'm not dead yet," he said quietly.

            "Damon, get to the coordinates on your monitor immediately!" Commander Fuyutski yelled over the comm.

*******************************************************************************************

            Asuka could not believe what she was seeing before her. She tried to move her limbs but her body did not seem to be responding to the orders that she was giving it. She could see Shinji lying in a pool of his own blood, face down, with his right arm stretched out before him. His hand seemed to be pulsing with a fading orange light.

            To her right she could see Kensuke holding up Nishka Zalomai. He had ripped apart his shirt and was doing his best to slow the Russian girls intense bleeding.

            To her left she could see Toji Suzahara lifting up a limp Hikari in his arms. She watched as he walked over to the elevator door and began pounding his fists against it, trying to get it to open up.

            Asuka could do nothing but stare.

*********************************************************************************************

            "Toji!" Kensuke was screaming at his friend, "You have to get help!"

            "I can't! The elevator won't open! The guards must have shut it down…"

            Toji set Hikari down and collapsed against the elevator door sobbing.

            "No…this isn't how it's supposed to be…"

            Kensuke knew things didn't look good. He stared down into the eyes of the beautiful blonde girl in his arms. She had been stabbed right through the stomach. He doubted that she would live. However she began to speak.

            "What's your name?"

            Kensuke was shocked, to hear her ask such a frivolous question at the hour of her death.

            "Kensuke."

            She was starting to shake, but she still managed to hold his gaze.

            "Kensuke, please don't let me die. Please don't leave me here."

            Kensuke could feel his tears begin to come. "Don't cry, Kensuke. She doesn't need to see you cry," he told himself.

            "I won't leave you."

            He squeezed her hand.

            "Kensuke…"

            This time it was Shinji's voice.

            "Shinji your alive!" Kensuke was so happy he almost forgot the dying girl in his arms. Though when he took a good glance at his friend he was hardly sure that he would make it out alive either.

            "Welcome back…Kensuke."

            Kensuke nodded, the tears flowing freely from his eyes now.

            Lighting flashed somewhere in the distance and Kensuke turned to look to his right. He could see a massive shape approaching rapidly through the pounding rain. And soon the massive hand of a black and white Evangelion came to rest beside the top of the building. The eva motioned with its head towards its out stretched hand. Kensuke nodded in return, doing his best to lift the girl in his arms. Toji was soon up as well, carefully lifting himself and Hikari's limp body onto the massive hand. 

*******************************************************************************************

            Damon watched the scene in front of him with horror.

            "Come on Shinji! Get up!"

*******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari saw red all around him. The pain of his life was throbbing throughout his entire being. "I won't die here. I won't give up. I won't run." Shinji Ikari reached his arm forward and began to crawl.

            To his right a beautiful German girl stood as well. She walked next to him, as he pulled himself inch by inch to the edge of the building. And soon he was there. He could feel the cold metal palm. Asuka stepped onto the Eva after him.

            "Rei!" Toji yelled, "Rei come on."

            He had not noticed the blue haired girl, but now he could see her plainly. Her hands were bloody and she was staring at them with a horrified look on her face. She was crying. 

            "Come on Rei!" Toji yelled again.

            Without warning the Evangelion quickly swung its other arm back around and scooped up Rei Ayanami in its hand.

            "Don't worry, Rei. I gotcha" Damon said to himself. With that final thought he pivoted Unit X's legs and began his trek towards the Geofront.


	13. Chapter 13: Calm

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and related content is owned by Gainax.

            Consciousness wavered for Shinji Ikari; like his own reality was continually blinking in and then back out of existence. The only constant was the pain. All over him; surrounding him; pulling him down. His mind suffered this pain as well. Shinji Ikari had failed. Although in the end his task had been completed, it had not been a victory; he had not won. His life had been spared by the sacrifice of another. An innocent, someone neither deserving pain or death. His friends arrival had provided the distraction that he had needed to claim victory from the jaws of defeat, but at a terrible price. Kensuke and Hikari had returned, and for this he was happy, but did that justify the loss of Nishka? A loss that should have been his. Was this his punishment for his own foolishness in taking it upon himself to be his friend's savior, at the expense of the millions of lives of people in the city that he had risked? Again he drifted away from consciousness.

*****************************************************************************************

            Toji Suzahara had stayed by her bedside all night long. He had never been so happy in his entire life. She had returned to him. Everything would be okay now. He could feel the dark cloud of depression that had been following him begin to lift; the nightmares and the anger leaving him. She had not yet awoken, but he would make sure that he was there for her when she did.

*****************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu slept in a chair next to the bed of Shinji Ikari. Her slumber was troubled by the events of the night. She kept reliving it all in her mind. She had not been able to move, all she could do was watch as Nishka sacrificed herself over and over again. The sword penetrating her body. Hikari and Kensuke crucified in the sky. Lifeless, and then, awakened. She could see Shinji screaming on the ground, blood spewing from his lips as he tried to warn her of the attack. It had been horrible seeing him like that. So much blood; the pain in his eyes. She had wanted to run to him, but still she could not move. She couldn't even help him crawl to the Eva. She was worthless. She felt the cold of the trip back to NERV. The horror of the swarming medical workers taking Shinji away. She had been shown to a room soon after that. She began to cry and scream, to break the furniture. She had thought Shinji to be dead. Asuka had collapsed onto the floor, drowning in her own tears. Soon afterward however a nurse had come for her. She had explained that Shinji had been stabilized. That the bleeding had seemingly stopped by the time he had made it to the E.R. Asuka didn't care that it seemed impossible for anyone to live through the injuries he had sustained, let alone already began healing them. All she cared about was seeing him.

            And with that Asuka again woke next to Shinji's bed. She gasped as she again found herself in reality. She stood from the chair and walked to his side. He was breathing softly, peacefully. He had I.V.'s and other things hooked to him that Asuka did not recognize. Asuka looked at his face. Shinji had a horizontal cut on his right cheek, and the left side of his face was black and bruised. She reached down and slowly lifted the sleeves on his shirt. She could see two long vertical cuts on his right shoulder running from his upper back down to just above his nipple. She lifted his left sleeve and revealed another similar cut on Shinji's left shoulder. She reached down and parted his shirt. Several of his ribs had been broken, and his lower chest had been wrapped in bandages. The odd thing was that he seemed to have a long cross shaped scar running vertically up his chest until it stopped just below his neck, and then horizontally across his chest, stopping at the ends of the fronts of his shoulders.

            "A cross?"

**********************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson sat upright in his hospital bed unable to sleep. He glanced at the blue haired girl in the bed to the left of him. Her hands were bandaged though he didn't know why or what had happened to her. In truth his mind had been deeply shaken. For the greater part of his life he had been prepared and ready to give his life for his country; to give his life for the mission. He had never really thought that he had anything to lose. He was sure that the lives of the other people were worth the cost of his own. His mother had died, and his father was a man of God. He had always been told that sacrifice was the best thing you could do. Then he had met Ayanami. She was unlike the other pretty girls he had known. He felt for her. She had said that she would miss him. That he should be more thoughtful as to what his own death would really mean. How it would affect others. What it would mean to her. This very night the American boy had come face to face with death. He had always been faced with danger, and the possibility of death, but not until tonight had he ever truly thought that it would come. He had given up. He had accepted it. However he had been given a second chance. Shinji's victory had saved his life. Again he looked over at the sleeping girl next to him. The question now was what he would do with this second chance.

*******************************************************************************************

            Kozo Fuyutski sat down to his desk and began reading the medical report that Dr. Sagura had given him. It had been quite a night, and at this point he was still unsure what exactly had taken place. This knowledge would have to wait until Shinji awoke. The commander turned to the second page of the document:

1st Child: Rei Ayanami- Status stable. The first child was victim to minor bleeding from the wrists and hands (resembles stigmata). Causes unknown. 

2nd Child: Asuka Langley Soryu-Status stable. The second child received no physical damage from the incident. However, emotional trauma seems to have ensued. Psychological therapy recommended.

3rd Child: Shinji Ikari-Status stable. The Third child entered the hospital suffering from massive blood loss and 2 broken ribs. Lacerations have been made to the right shoulder (2) and to the left shoulder (1), along with another minor laceration to the right cheek. The right side of the third child's face has received blunt trauma.

4th Child: Toji Suzahara-Status stable. The fourth child received no physical damage from the incident. Signs of sleep depravation and depression seem apparent.

5th Child: Kaoru Nagisa- Status stable. The fifth child was not involved physically with the incident. Increased energy patterns observed.

6th Child: Nishka Zalomai-Status pending. The sixth child suffered a massive wound beginning at the lower stomach and continuing downward. Chance of survival 30%. If survival is accomplished, reproduction is thought to be highly unlikely.

7th Child: Damon Robinson-Status Stable. The seventh child continues to suffer from partially reopened back wounds. Also, Evangelion related trauma to the neck, face, and chest.

8th Child: Kensuke Aida-Status pending. The eighth child received no physical damage from the incident. Tests are currently being run to check for affects of contamination or other negative aspects resulting in contact with Lilith's egg.

9th Child: Hikari Horaki-Status Pending. The ninth child received no physical damage from the incident. Subject has yet to awaken. When this occurs tests will be run to check for affects of contamination or other negative aspects resulting in contact with Lilith's egg.

            Kozo Fuyutski finished reading the report and sighed. The return of the 8th and 9th children had him somewhat worried. Though they were included in the original Marduke report, the Dead Sea scrolls had made no mention of them, and therefore they had been deemed unnecessary for combat. However, their return so long after the rest of humanity suggested that it had some sort of meaning behind it. "Was this meant to happen?" The commander asked himself.  He had no knowledge of the Dead Sea scrolls besides what he had been told, and it was likely that there was much he did not know. Or perhaps there was a second set of scrolls still to be found. He decided that it was a matter best looked in to.

*******************************************************************************************

            Kensuke Aida had had to be torn away from the dying girl when she was rushed to ER. He was now waiting in a medical room, lost in his thoughts. He was trying to comprehend what had happened to him. He was trying to remember what things had been like in side of the black egg. It had been like perfection at first. Then, a great deal of people had left, which of course ruined the perfection. After that, the sphere had been more akin to hell than to heaven. There was destruction and pain as the souls trapped inside were now being tortured by each others differences instead of harmonizing with each others similarities. Kensuke could remember the torment, he could see his idea of perfection perverted and distorted in front of his eyes until it had become his own personal hell. And then the men in white had appeared. What were they? Kensuke did not know. But he did know what they had offered. They had offered escape from the hellish egg. They proposed that if you were willing to again rejoin (at this point the souls had been separated by the distortion that such a great amount of souls leaving had caused) into a larger being, that the souls that had escaped could be brought back. Thus, perfection would return. Kensuke was starting to get a headache. He was trying to recall how he had felt; if he had wanted to become one of those things, one of those monsters that would attempt to continue third impact. Then he thought about all of the people still trapped inside; still suffering in pain.

*****************************************************************************************

            Nishka Zalomai's life was now flashing before her eyes. She was unsure of where she was, though she remembered much of the trek back to NERV and the boy Kensuke struggling to keep her alive. There was terror in his eyes that betrayed his words. He kept telling her to hang on, but she could tell by looking into his eyes how badly she had been hurt. And now she was seeing her family. They were freezing on the streets, starving. She hated these memories. Her father searching for a place to sleep for the night, her brother looking through the garbage. Then the men had come. The government men in the nice suits. They had asked her to become a pilot for some secret project. They had offered to pay her handsomely, and to provide good food and a nice house for her family. How could she have refused? Everyday her family fell farther into disease. She had made up her mind and they were all ushered into a limousine and taken away. That had been four years ago. She had been so glad to have been able to provide for her family; so happy that they were finally well. It had come at a price though. The government had been extremely paranoid about the project, and Nishka rarely had been able to see her father and brother. The NERV facility had not even been in the same city, let alone the same part of the country. She wished she could see them one last time.

*******************************************************************************************

            Koaru Nagisa could feel his mind racing inside of his motionless body; a body of sacrifice upon the cross. He had been hit with active consciousness; increasing as time passed and Wraiths met their demise. He was unsure of what was to happen next. Shinji had made his choice, and Koaru hoped that now he at least understood why. Koaru realized that with every defeat the black egg suffered, he would likely grow towards greater existence. He could feel his divinity slowly slipping away. At first there had been nothing. Then after Shinji had managed to defeat the first of the creatures, he had found that he was able to enter the boy's dreams. Now, he could see his surroundings; was aware of his physical existence. Perhaps soon he would be able to escape these physical bonds…perhaps soon he would no longer be an angel at all…

*****************************************************************************************

            "Were you successful doctor?" Fuyutski said intently to Sagura.

            "Yes. She will live."

            "Any permanent damage?"

            "Nothing that will hinder her piloting abilities. The only problem that seems evident is childbirth. Her reproductive system will likely not be able to produce any children."

            "I understand. Thank you doctor."

            Sagura bowed and then quickly took his leave.

            The commander leaned back in his chair, clearing his thoughts. The phone rang.

            "This is Fuyutski."

            He recognized the voice on the line. He was the commander of the NERV facility in Great Britain.

            "The A^2 engine is nearing completion. The UN has sanctioned that we ship you five of the modules immediately upon completion."

            Fuyutski sat back up in his chair.

            "I understand. Thank you commander."

            "Goodbye Kozo."

            "Goodbye William."

*********************************************************************************************

            The month that had passed following Shinji's rooftop battle was the best one that he had ever had. Shinji was currently spacing out in the last bit of class before lunch. At last everything seemed to be going great. He had all of his friends back, and felt as if he had a new lease on life. Even Lilith's egg seemed to be done for. From what he understood from Misato, the energy readings from it had slowed almost to nothing. Knowing that an attack would likely not come suddenly, if at all, made Shinji at ease. He was now concentrating on simply enjoying his life, and it was wonderful. Even his normally bad grades were improving somewhat.

            Shinji was however still quite amazed that everything had turned out as well as it had. He still had nightmares of the battle frequently. He still had doubts about his actions, and fears of their consequences, yet he found that what had taken place was slowly slipping from his thoughts more and more. Amazingly both he and Nishka had survived the fight. "I guess someone up there still likes me," he thought to himself. As far as that went, it was starting to become apparent that plenty of people on earth liked him as well. Shinji had begun to notice that a lot of the girls in the upper grades were starting to pay him attention. He figured it was most likely because he was now a rather large international celebrity, but he tried to ignore a lot of the extra notice. He could tell that it frustrated Asuka slightly, but he wasn't too worried about it. At least he hoped there wasn't anything to worry about; Asuka was known to go a little off the wall with jealousy sometimes. He smiled to himself. In truth he actually for some reason liked that about her. His friends of course all had there own theories on Shinji's popularity. Toji had proposed simply that "Chick's dig scars," and this soon had become the general consensus with Kensuke and Damon as well. 

            It seemed like Toji was finally returning to his old self now that Hikari and Kensuke had returned. It was now basketball season, and both Toji and Damon had made the team. Both of them seemed to be constantly competing with each other, but it was all in fun, and as a result they had become good friends and better basketball players. In truth Kensuke and Damon got along even better. Kensuke's love of all things military, coupled with Damon's vast knowledge of military experience and training led to conversations so boring to others that Shinji found himself falling asleep when they got into discussion.

            Shinji was probably the most happy to see Rei emerging from her shell. She had taken up painting, and seemed eager to express herself. She had become good friends with Hikari and Nishka, and after a while a reluctant Asuka had followed suit as well.

            In short, things were good. He looked down at his computer screen. He had forgotten that he had been chatting with Asuka and Damon. He typed "sorry, I spaced out." And then Shinji noticed several other conversation requests blinking on his screen. They all looked like they were from girls he didn't know. Shinji sighed. He was going to decline the requests but Damon accepted all seven of them. Shinji glanced to his right were Damon sat, shooting him a dirty look. The American boy chuckled. Asuka quickly left the conversation. Damon chuckled again, and Shinji couldn't help but smile as well, though he shook his head as he did it.

**********************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari and Toji Suzahara walked over to the lunch tables where they usually ate lunch. Kensuke and Damon were already there, deep in an argument about American stealth fighter superiority.

            "Will you two shut up," Toji said immediately as he heard what they were discussing, "No one cares."

            Kensuke shot him a dirty look.

            "I care."

            Toji grinned.

            "See what I mean?"

            Shinji laughed, spraying a bit of the rice he was eating on to Kensuke.

            "Gross man!" Kensuke said as he wiped the grains off of his face.

            They were all laughing now. After the joke passed several moments of silence followed as the three boys quickly ate their food.

            "So," Kensuke was speaking with food in his mouth, "What's with that little pony tail thing Shinji?"

            "What this?" Shinji pointed to the back of his hair.

            "No dude, your other pony tail," Kensuke said back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The other two boys laughed.

            "Well, um, Asuka likes it," Was Shinji's rather awkward answer. Shinji knew that she probably liked it because it was how Kaji used to wear his hair, but he didn't mind.

            Kensuke shook his head, while Toji made a whip cracking noise. Shinji smiled.

            "Well whatever, you can't deny that girls seem to like it," Shinji said noticing two girls waving at him from a few tables over.

            "No. no. no. That's not it," Damon said, his food finally entirely eaten, "We have already been through this, it's the scar."

            "Definitely the scar," Toji agreed.

            "Yessssssss…the scar," Kensuke said with a weird voice as he poked Shinji's right cheek.

            They were all soon laughing again. 

            "Okay enough Shinji bashing," Kensuke said, "How'r things with Hikari?" Kensuke asked, looking towards Toji.

            Damon saw his opportunity.

            "Oh things are great. We made out for like an hour last night," He said shooting Toji a grin.

            This time everyone was laughing except Toji.

            "Yah, very funny."

            In truth his anger was only making things funnier. Once the laughter died down Toji managed to respond.

            "Well I guess things are good. Though I do say some dumb things sometimes," he said shaking his head.

            "Ya man I know what ya mean. When I say something dumb and Rei's around its worse than normal because she takes it seriously, and then I have to explain that it was dumb so she doesn't think I'm weird," Damon said.

            "You are weird."

            Damon shrugged.

            "Meh."

            "Well what's up with you and Nishna, Kensuke?" Toji asked.

            "It's Nishka."

            "…and?"

            "I don't know. Girls are complicated," Kensuke replied.

            "Well no shit," Damon said with a grin, "that's what makes things interesting. And come on ya gotta give us a better answer than that."

            "Yah man seriously, that was a bad answer," Toji said.

            "Well," Kensuke started, "I guess I'm just glad she didn't die that night."

            This was met with silence as the mention of the incident brought forth difficult memories for all.

            It was Shinji who broke the silence.

            "Well, she's one amazing girl that's for sure. If she hadn't done what she did…I'm sure that Asuka would have been dead." Shinji didn't add "and it would have been my fault."

            Kensuke nodded.

            "Yah, you're right."

            Shinji was thinking about the Russian girl's courageous action during the fight. "I should really thank her," he thought as he realized that he really hadn't thanked her, or even spoken to her that much. He resolved to get to know her better. "Heck maybe I can convince Kensuke to go on a double date with her and Asuka and I," Shinji thought. "Looks like he could use some girl help anyway."

            Shinji looked at Kensuke and grinned. Kensuke noticed and looked back.

            "What?"

            "Nothing."


	14. Chapter 14: Divinity

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other related items are property of Gainax.

            It was a cold night on the California coast. The nights were always cold. A man half dressed in army fatigues sat up in his cot and looked around him. The rest of the battalion was sleeping; again it was only he who suffered the nightmares. Realistic dreams haunted this man every night. Always the same; always letting him see just a bit more. He always found himself in a darkened corridor; the rest of his squadmates next to him, rifles at the ready. There was always light at the end of the corridor, and there was always a shape obscuring the light. The shape of a boy. A boy with black hair and plain features. A boy with a cross emblazoned upon his chest. The squadleader would always yell the same commands. It always came down to a fire fight. Bullets rippled through the air as the boy at the end of the corridor moved his hands impossibly fast, blocking the volleys. Then he would always find himself blinded by the orange light. And then he would wake.

*******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari looked at himself intensely in the mirror, his eyes focused on his own chest. He reached his hands up and touched the scar. He shuddered. Shinji had no idea where the mark had come from; it had just been there after his battle in the rain.

            "Shinji!"

            Shinji turned to look at the closed door, and then back at the mirror again as he buttoned his shirt.

            "I know Asuka, I'm coming."

********************************************************************************************

            Misato Katsuragi had said her goodbyes to her two roommates as they went out for the night. Now she simply lay upon her bed, and tried to not think of him; she tried not to cry. It only seemed to be getting harder. She had blocked it out for a while. But then the night of the battle Shinji had hugged her. He had told her that he knew how much she missed him. Now all of the pain of her loss returned to her again. She had joined NERV to take vengeance upon the angels. But now that they were gone, she felt empty. She had hoped for a long time that he might have been able to fill that emptiness.

            "Kaji."

******************************************************************************************

            With the final whistle blown the Tokyo 3 high school basketball team headed for the locker room, and then soon after to the parking lot for transportation. Toji Suzahara and Damon Robinson had no rides, but that was fine with them. The walk wasn't too far. Toji began to dribble his basketball along the sidewalk.

            "Hey Toji."

            "Yah."

            Damon said nothing as he continued to walk alongside his friend.

            "Hey Toji."

            "WHAT man!"

            "Sorry."

            "That's fine, just ask me the damn question."

            Damon nodded, putting his hands into his jacket pockets and producing a toothpick to chew on.

            "Do ya ever think about piloting again?"

            Toji stopped dribbling the ball.

            "I don't really want to talk about it."

            "I know you had a rough go of things, but that was all unfortunate circumstance."

            Toji didn't respond, so Damon continued.

            "Look man all I'm saying is that one of these days NERV might find itself in a bind. And when NERV finds itself in a bind, the people of earth find themselves in a bind. We very well could need you. You very well could make the difference between life and death for the people of this planet."

            Toji looked towards the ground as he let out a sigh,

            "I know."

******************************************************************************************

            Koaru Nagisa could feel it. It was so close. So agonizingly close. "Just a little bit further…" he murmured inside of his own echoing mind. And then it was so. Koaru could feel himself stepping from his body. He could feel the cold steel of the ground below him. His vision began to come into focus and he glanced at his hands. They were ghostly blue, and he could see right through them. He turned his head and felt the facility around him. "There is so much pain in this place." He could feel it all around him. "Is this how the lillin define their reality? Through this pain?" Koaru ventured to take a step forward, and was satisfied when he found that he received the desired effect of forward movement. Then another thought hit his mind. "What am I now?" Then he knew it. After all of that wondering he understood it. "My divinity will leave me, and then I will cease to exist. It is the ultimate freedom, an existence without pain, yet why do I now wish to avoid it?" Koaru had no answers to this. "I must rid myself of it, and then I will be human. Then I will be free. I must have a vessel."

            Again Koaru searched his surroundings. Though this time he searched for something entirely different. And soon he found what he was looking for as well. "Your buried deep my friend," Koaru said to himself, "deeper than I." The ethereal boy clasped his arms to his sides, and slowly sunk through the floor, quickly disappearing from sight.

****************************************************************************************

            In truth Nishka Zalomai was nervous. She had agreed to the date without a moment's hesitation, and would soon be on her way, but she couldn't help but worry. Things had been sort of strange between herself and Kensuke Aida. They hadn't exactly met under normal circumstances, and she found it hard to be normal around him after what they had been through on that night; that night in the rain. Nishka hoped that tonight they would get to know each other better; that they would be able to shake off the memories of the night they had met, and become closer. "At least Asuka will be there," she thought to herself.

*******************************************************************************************

            The answer had finally hit commander Fuyutski only minutes earlier. He had finally managed to answer one of his own most burning questions. "If the dead sea scrolls had appeared in the place where second impact had taken place, might not a new set of scrolls appear from the place where Third Impact was born?"

            "Hyuga!"

            "Sir"

            "I want you to organize a search party. Have all non-essential personnel meet me in the main hall immediately."

            "Right away sir."

****************************************************************************************

            "Kensuke, try not to look so nervous."

            Shinji Ikari and Kensuke Aida were sitting in the quad area outside of the Tokyo 3 university dorms. Asuka was currently inside the building with Nishka.

            "I'm not nervous."

            "Yes you are."

            "I know."

            They both laughed. 

            "Don't worry about things man. Were gonna have fun tonight. That's what this is about. Just remember that."

            Kensuke nodded. 

            "I know." In truth Kensuke was already feeling better. "Just have fun," he told himself.

            Shinji noticed Damon Robinson walking back to his dorm. "He must be coming back from basketball," Shinji thought.

            "Hey Damon!"

            The American boy turned, looking for who had shouted his name.

            "Oh. Hey Shinji, Kensuke."

            Damon turned around and walked over to the bench where the other two boys were sitting.

            "It's the big date tonight isn't it?" Damon said with a grin on his face, "I hope you guys have a good time."

            Damon paused and looked at Kensuke, chuckling slightly. He sat down next to his spectacled friend and put his arm around his shoulder.

            "You look like hell man."

            Kensuke laughed.

******************************************************************************************

            Koaru Nagisa could see the levels of NERV slide past him as he sunk through the layers of the facility. "Soon," he told himself. Then the metal floors of NERV gave way to dirt and rock, and soon Koaru reached his destination. It was a rather small room, a metal box really with a large fan spinning slowly. Koaru could see the body clearly. It had begun to decay slightly now, and the color had been completely drained. He appeared to be a relatively young man. Physically fit, probably healthy in life. He had long brown hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. There was a bullet hole in the man's head. 

            "It is time."

******************************************************************************************

            "What do you mean you can't open the shaft?!"

            Commander Kozo Fuyutski was becoming more frustrated with every passing moment. A complete search of the facility had come up clean of anything abnormal. Everything but this. It was a special elevator that he had never been informed of. It had a password, retina scan, thumb scan, and all manors of other security measures. Fuyutski knew that they were all programmed for Gendo, without any real evidence.

            "Damn it."

            The commanders radio began to beep. He reached down and lifted it to his mouth, holding down the button on the side.

            "What is it?"

            "Commander, we have a blue pattern energy reading emanating from directly below your current position," Aoba said over the radio.

            "What? Blue pattern? An Angel?"

            Before the commander could say another word a massive green light erupted from below terminal dogma.

*******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari knocked his bowl of soup to the ground as he stood and marveled in horror at the massive cross shaped green explosion erupting in the distance.

            "No! That can't be!"

            Shinji moved from the table and ran from the restaurant towards the green pillar of flame. Asuka yelled after him.

            "Shinji what are you doing."

            The third child shouted his response as he began to run faster.

            "It's an Angel."

            Asuka, Nishka, and Kensuke stood and began to run as well.

*****************************************************************************************

            Rei Ayanami collapsed onto the floor of her apartment, splattering paint onto the carpet.

            "How? Koaru…?"

********************************************************************************************

            Ryoji Kaji sputtered and began to cough uncontrollably as the green lights faded from behind his eyes. He tried his best to breathe but found it difficult. He could feel the pavement under his skin. Sensation. Life.

            The fifth child stood slowly, smelling the air and listening to the sounds of the city. He flexed his right hand and then he flexed his left hand. Everything seemed to be in order.

            "Time to go."

            Kaoru looked down at the coughing creature below him. He looked normal enough; the rotting flesh had healed and he was obviously alive now. Kaoru reached down and grabbed him by his arms, tying his best to get him to his feet. After a few moments however he gave up and simply dragged the man out of the road and into the darkness of an alley. The fifth child set the man down on the pavement and scanned the area. There it was; fire escape.

            "Up."

*********************************************************************************************

            Toji Suzahara knocked quietly on the door of Hikari Horaki's apartment. The door was flung open suddenly.

            "Toji?"

            "Uh, yah hi Hikari," Toji saw a worried look on the girls face, "Uhh, I'm not late or something am I?"

            "No, look, um,… I think you better see what's on the news."

*******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari finally reached the spot where the light had been. Yet now there was nothing to be seen but a group of frightened people. There was no damage from the explosion for some reason. Nothing but a large hole that went straight down into the ground.

            "NERV…"

            Shinji realized he wasn't breathing and gasped for air, as Asuka and the others caught up to him.

            "Where are you?" Shinji said quietly, "Angel."

            "Shinji are you okay?" Asuka questioned as she reached him.

            Shinji nodded.

********************************************************************************************

            "What the hell are you?"

            Ryoji Kaji was using all of his strength to sit up and look the strange boy in the eyes. All he got for an answer however was a laugh.

            "I said what the hell are you?"

            "I," the gray haired boy said triumphantly, "am a human."

            "Well that's great kid-" Kaji was cut off as the boy began to speak again.

            "You, are an Angel."

            "What? What do you mean? What the hell is this?"

            Koaru Nagisa was not terribly concerned with the questions of the confused man, but he was a little curious. He walked over and unbuttoned the brown haired man's shirt, wondering if he would find a red jewel. He found no red jewel, but he did find something just as interesting: A cross shaped scar.

********************************************************************************************

            Commander Fuyutski blinked as his eyesight returned to him and the green light faded. He shook his head several times back and forth as well. With this done he ascertained that there was no damage for some reason. Nothing but a hole that seemed to go below Terminal Dogma.

            "You!" The Commander yelled at a nearby technician standing back up from the blast, "I want you to get your hands on rappelling equipment immediately."

            "Rappelling equipment sir?"

            "Just do it! And Hurry!"

            "Yes sir!"

            And with that the man was off and running. Kozo walked to the edge of the pit and looked downward. Looked and wondered.

**********************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari slowly walked away from the site of the explosion with his friends in tow.

            "I think we better call it a night," Asuka said with a somewhat shaky voice.

            "Ya," Nishka said, "I agree."

            Shinji nodded.

            "Alright then," Kensuke said, "You guys live over that way, so don't bother coming with us," he glanced over at the blonde Russian girl, "I'll walk Nishka home."

            "Okay" Asuka said, "Goodnight."

            "Goodnight."

********************************************************************************************

            By the time they reached the apartment Asuka was exhausted. She yawned loudly.

            "Misato?" She yelled into the dark living room, "Shinji hit the lights."

            "Righty," He said back as he flipped the switch.

            "Huh," Asuka said as she looked into Misato's room, "I guess she must have had to go to NERV."

            "Probably," Shinji concluded.

            "Okay then. I'm going to go to bed, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

            Shinji nodded

            "Okay, goodnight."

            "Night," Asuka said as she entered her room and shut the door behind her.

            Shinji yawned and sat down at the couch to watch some television. After about twenty minutes he heard a knock on the door. 

            "Finally she's back," Shinji said to himself as he quickly opened the door.

            A man stood in the doorway. He was disheveled, wet, and obviously confused. His shirt was ripped and Shinji could easily see a cross shaped scar emblazoned upon his chest.

            "What the hell? Kaji?"

            The man reacted instantly to the sound of his name. His eyes snapped to attention, like he was caught sleeping in class. Shinji watched as Kaji's knees buckled. The third child managed to catch him before he fell, and carefully dragged him into Misato's room. Shinji's mind was reeling. Not only was Kaji obviously alive, but he bore the same cross mark on his chest that Shinji himself wore. "That explosion…" 

Then Shinji felt something strange. He ran out of Misato's room, and then out of the apartment. He extended his AT field from his feet and quickly found himself on the roof of the building. The white moon glared down on him as did the black moon. The answer wasn't there though. Whatever had brought him up here was not to be seen. Shinji could here another person coming to the apartment door down below. "Misato." Shinji began to quickly descend the side of the building using all of the skills he had learned. By the time he reached the apartment Misato was already inside; already to her room.

"Misato wait!"

But Shinji was too late; she had already hit the lights. He had hoped to talk to her before she saw Kaji's sleeping body. But it was too late for that now. With a scream Major Misato Katsuragi passed out onto the floor. Shinji sighed. 

The third child picked up the body of his guardian and laid her sleeping form on the bed next to Kaji.

"I gotta get some sleep," he said to no one in particular.             

Shinji turned around and walked back through the apartment to his own room. He lay down onto the bed without changing from his clothes. "What the hell is going on," he asked himself. Then Shinji felt it again. "Who…?" Shinji Ikari got out of his bed and walked back out into the hallway. "The roof…?" Shinji glanced at the apartment door, but then entered Asuka's room instead. "She looks so peaceful when she sleeps," he thought to himself. The third child walked to the second child's bedside and gently touched her hair.

"Goodnight Asuka," Shinji said as he placed a kiss on her cheek. The third child then stood and walked out the apartment door.

************************************************************************************

The rooftop was cold to Shinji's touch as he ascended its heights. This time however he was there.

"Koaru."

"Hello Shinji. I'm sorry if the angel gave you a fright earlier tonight. That was not my intention."

"Do you mean Kaji?"

The fifth child nodded.

"You have questions for me, do you not?"

"Yes," Shinji said, "Yes I do."

Shinji paused for a moment.

"Koaru, I have made my choice. Thank you for showing me the way."

"I am happy for you. At the time I was unsure of what would take place next. But now I am confident that I know. You have chosen to fight, have you not?"

"Yes I have."

"Then I believe I can reveal to you the true nature of this conflict. Shinji, do you know why third impact resulted as it did?"

"No."

"Shinji, the aftermath of third impact as it exists at this moment is the result of mankind's revolution against God. Mankind in its folly tried to make itself a God. This god would be the ruler of a sinless world. It is often described as a "dead sea." Though the world of the dead sea is that of purity, a world free of sin, it is also free of life. The only being that exists is the god itself. This world, Shinji, is the world that you rejected during third impact. But now the world that you spared has become swallowed by the revolution that mankind sought against its own creator. What I am saying Shinji, is that at this very moment there exists not one, but two gods of this world, a god that created man, and a god that man created. There can be only one. Thus the war will soon have an end. You, Shinji, have already chosen the god for which you fight. You have no doubt noticed the mark on your chest."

"The cross."

"Yes. It is indeed his symbol."

Koaru slowly unbuttoned his shirt revealing the same cross mark on his chest.

"We are two of the three Shinji, as well as two of the nine."

"Two of the three? Two of the nine? What do you mean?"

We are two of the nine children. You have already seen the mark upon the man who is the last of the three."

"Kaji."

"Indeed. Very soon the purpose of the three will be revealed to you."

Shinji nodded.

"So the Wraiths fight for a dead world free of sin. A world created by a god that is essentially mankind itself. And we fight for a god that allows to exist in a world full of sin, and pain; that allows us to exist in a world of life. A world where we may find our meaning, our happiness, even though we will have to suffer through this reality that we call life in order to find it."

Koaru smiled.

"We will meet again soon, Shinji. Now I believe it is best that you return home. Return to the ones that you wish to protect."

Shinji nodded.

"Thank you Koaru."


	15. Chapter 15: Two hearts as one

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated trademarks are property of Gainax.

            Shinji Ikari stared out into the sunset. He let out a long sigh, whether it was from relief or from deep thought, or from depression, only he knew. This was it, the end of a chapter in his life. Tomorrow was graduation. It had been three long years since he had spoken with Koaru. Three years since that night in the rain. Three years since his choice. He was 17 now, nearly 18, and had grown into manhood. He had left his childish awkwardness behind, yet his mind was still plagued by what was to come. He kept only a small group of his close friends and rarely consorted with others (they were usually turned away by his quiet and thoughtful demeanor anyhow). His grades were still bad, but it did not matter. There was no university in the world that would reject the application of "mankind's savior." For some reason he found it depressing. He knew that this should be a happy time. He was about to embark on an entirely new path in life. Yet he still knew that the war was coming. It was only a matter of when; therefore his mind was rarely at rest from thinking about it. Shinji looked up into the sky. The white moon was rising as the black moon began to set. "The Wraiths." They still had not returned. The sphere still remained dormant. This fact worried Shinji the most. It made him think that perhaps the war would not be between man and Wraith; that perhaps the war would be between men only.

            Shinji had decided to attend Tokyo 3 university because of its closeness to NERV and the Evangelions. NERV had used its influence to get all of the other children designated by the marduke report into the college as well. "All nine of us." Though that wasn't really true. Only god knew where Koaru was. But if he did return, then there would be a place waiting for him. Even Asuka had decided to get another degree, if not only to be around her friends. Personally Shinji thought of all of them more like family than anything.  In fact, because of increased worries about assassination attempts and kidnappings, they would all be living in the same household while they attended the university. This way they could be easily monitored and guarded by government personnel on their own private estate. Shinji scoffed at this. They were still thought of as tools; investments that were in need of protection.

            Shinji had paid close attention to Ryoji Kaji since he had returned on that day three years ago. It was admittedly a rather easy task to accomplish seeing as he had moved in with them. Truth be told, Shinji had enjoyed having a father figure around but he had enjoyed even more seeing Misato happy after all of what she had suffered through. In truth Kaji was quite different than the person he had used to be. The man suffered from amnesia, and remembered almost nothing of his past, though he sometimes had rather frightening flashbacks. The only thing that he really remembered at all was his love for Misato, which he had finally been able to profess to her. His personality hadn't changed at all though; he was still very forward and sloppy. Shinji liked that about him; maybe because it was the opposite of his own personality. Kaji had asked him only once about the twin scars that they shared. Shinji had been unable to give him a strait answer, and in truth, he did not have one himself. That was what worried him.

******************************************************************************************

            "Misato?"

            Asuka Langley Soryu walked out into the apartment living room. She looked into the kitchen and saw her guardian trying to make soup for dinner while at the same time playfully fighting off the kisses of her fiancée.

            "Uh huh, Kaji quit it. I'm serious," Misato said, though through her giggles it was easy to see that she was clearly not serious.

            "Have you guys seen Shinji?"

            Ryoji Kaji turned and swept Misato off of her feet, like he was dipping her for a ballroom dance. He set his eyes on her chest, and slowly panned up to look her in the eyes. Misato was giggling uncontrollably (Asuka also noticed that the wine she had been using to cook was not actually making it into the food). With ought taking his eyes from Misato, Kaji gave the German girl a response.

            "I believe the young Ikari is off gazing into the distance again," Kaji said, now turning his head to look at Asuka while still keeping the laughing Major in dip position, "I guess he is just a hopeless romantic."

            Kaji began to laugh and both he and Misato fell to the floor laughing and trying not to spill their wine. Asuka couldn't help but smile at them. They were like this every night. They really did love each other. With a final glance to her two guardians she made her way out to the deck.

*******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari could feel the warm arms of the second child silently slide around his waist. The second child laid her head against his back (Shinji was easily taller than her now) and gave him a hug.

            "What are you thinking about Shinji?"

            Shinji let out another sigh before responding.

            "Uncertainty."

            Asuka smiled.

            "You are so weird," she laughed back while squeezing him tighter.

            Shinji chuckled. "If only you knew the things that I know," He thought to himself. In truth Shinji had done his best to tell her of the things Koaru had told him, but so much of what he had been told was hard to explain. It was mostly feelings that Shinji had; little things that he sensed. Dreams. Shinji turned to face her and returned the hug; feeling her warmth against his.

            "I'm sorry," he said.

            "That's fine," she said back, smiling up at him.

            Shinji nodded and returned her smile. At this moment they both managed to hear the clanging of pots in the kitchen, and several swear words. The two pilots headed back inside to see a vat of spilled soup on the ground and a furious Misato. She was yelling something at a smiling Kaji.

            "Did I ever tell you how absolutely gorgeous you are when you are angry, Misato?" Kaji said with a twinkle in his eye.

            Shinji could see Misato's anger deflate instantly.

            "Ohhhh...Kaji you are so sweet!" the Major responded as she began to kiss him as her socks began to absorb the spilled dinner.

            Asuka scoffed at the scene, while Shinji grinned.

            "Aren't they cute Asuka?" 

            The second child groaned.  

            After a few more seconds of kissing Misato pulled away to assess the damage.

            "Well, it looks like we better order in."

****************************************************************************************

            Dinner had been both delicious and pleasant for the entire Katsuragi/Kaji household. Dinner had been good for the most part simply because Misato had not made it, while it had been made pleasant by some of Kaji's new jokes. These jokes were predominantly dirty, though very funny, and Asuka enjoyed them immensely although she could tell they made Shinji slightly uncomfortable. For some reason she found his little insecurities charming now. 

Once dinner had been finished they had all helped to clean up and wash, and had then settled down to watch a movie. Misato and Kaji had not lasted long through the film however and were soon asleep (whether it was from boredom, sleepiness, or just the large amount of alcohol they had consumed). Shinji had turned the movie off and helped Asuka to transport the two into their bedroom. When they had both returned to the living room, Asuka began to yawn and Shinji checked his watch.

            "It's almost midnight."

            "Yah," Asuka said, "we should probably get some sleep. We got a big day tomorrow."

            Shinji nodded.

            "I suppose."

            Both pilots stood and went to their respective rooms to change for bed. Shinji finished first and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth, where he was soon joined by his red-headed room mate. After Asuka had finished brushing her teeth she headed back into her room and got into her bed. Soon afterward Shinji entered her room as well, sitting down on a chair next to her. Asuka smiled at him.

            "I can't believe that we are graduating tomorrow, Shinji."

            "I know. Its unreal….," Shinji paused for a moment and then added "…That we lived to see it."

            Asuka nodded.

            "We haven't exactly had normal lives, have we?"

            "I suppose not," Shinji returned.

            After this both pilots sat in silence for a time, until Shinji again broke the silence.

            "Hey, do you think that tonight,… could be the night?"

            Asuka turned to look at him with a surprised expression on her face.

            "Uh…well I mean," Shinji stammered, "They were pretty drunk. I don't think that they will be up until at least noon tomorrow soo…"

            Asuka smiled.

            "Well, what do you think, Shinji?"

            Shinji found himself staring at the ground. Then he looked back up to her, returning her smile. He nodded, sliding into bed next to her. The Third child looked deep into the German girl's eyes; he looked deep down into her very heart; into her soul. He kissed her softly and then pulled away to look into her eyes again.

            "I love you Asuka."

            "I love you too."

******************************************************************************************

            "Have all of the security features finished installation?"

            Commander Kozo Fuyutski glanced at his watch. It was past midnight. "I am getting to old for this damn job," he thought to himself, rubbing his eyes softly.

            "Alright. Thank you very much."

            The commander hung the phone up. He had spent the entire day making absolutely sure that section 2 had the new house covered. The world could not afford to lose all eight of its Evangelion pilots. Whether or not anyone would actually try to kill or kidnap them was yet to be seen, and had not happened thus far anyhow. However he knew, as the UN did, that these gifted children were far too valuable a resource to be handled so lightly. Though at the same time Fuyutski knew that this worth and value could very well soon be challenged. Challenged by man and his "science."

*******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari had always been told not to give in. Temptation was something that was to be fought, not something to be indulged. Yet as he looked down upon the beautiful woman beneath him it did not feel like he was giving in. No, it felt like he was becoming one. His heart was beating in unison with this person; he was expressing his love for her. The beating of her heart. It was the only thing that he lived for. It was the reason for his continued existence. The reason that he had chosen to go on. The reason that he had chosen to fight instead of run. To save life; existence. To save her. To be with her.

********************************************************************************************

            Misato Katsuragi stirred in her sleep, her mind wavering for a moment between consciousness and rest. She attempted to roll over in bed, and in doing so bumped into the sleeping Kaji. The major watched this man breathe softly in his slumber as her mind wandered about the memories of her life. She thought about how lucky she was to have him next to her. She had often pondered it. "What act of God has returned this man to me?" She knew that the answer to this question was unimportant. The fact was he was here, and she had been given another chance at love.

            Her thoughts wandered to the kids. She smiled at herself for thinking of them that way. "My kids." She had felt sorry for Shinji; felt sorry for his acceptance of being alone, so she had taken him in. In reality it was probably to fill the gaps in her own lonely life. But now he was no longer her child, if he ever was. Tomorrow both of her "kids" would be leaving the nest. She felt both sorrowful and proud. She would miss them; miss the accidental and impromptu family that she had been blessed with. Misato Katsuragi drifted silently back to sleep.

*********************************************************************************************

            Kensuke Aida hoped this kiss would never end. She was pushing herself up against him. He moved his hands up to the side of her head, brushing the hair away from her face. "She has always been a great kisser," he thought to himself. After a few more moments, she slowly pulled away, smiling.. And then giggling. He smiled as well.

            "Goodnight Kensuke."

            "Goodnight Nishka."

            The blonde girl turned to enter the dorm building.

            "You're going to help me move out in the morning, right Kensuke?"

            "But of course. I'll be here at eight sharp."

            She nodded.

            "Okay. I should be up. But if I'm not then it's okay to come in and wake me."

            "Yah, alright."

            "Do you still have the key?"

            "Never leave home without it."

******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari finally pulled away from her, breathing heavily. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling through closed eyes. She reached out for him in the darkness, doing her best to pull the surrounding pillows and blankets back into order at the same time. He held her close, and soon they were both asleep; two hearts beating as one.

***************************************************************************************

            "Wow! This place is huge!"

            Damon Robinson couldn't believe his eyes as he dropped his bags in the hallway.

            "Well there will be eight of us living here," Rei Ayanami responded in her familiar monotone.

            "My God! This is going to be so great!"

            Rei couldn't help but let a small smile grace her lips. He was just like a little child when he got excited.

            "Well now. Should we pick our room?"

            "Our room?" Rei said, raising an eyebrow.

            Rei could see some of the excitement drain from his face.

            "Wha? No?" Damon said.

            "I suppose we will just have to see."

            "Damn it," Damon thought to himself, "Well it was worth a try."

            The American boy picked up his bags again and walked out of the hallway into the living room. The house really was nice. "Looks like old Fuyutski spared no expense," he thought to himself as Rei followed him into the kitchen.

*****************************************************************************************

            "Hello! Is anyone here yet?"

            Toji Suzahara stepped into the hallway of the building. 

            "Wow."

            Toji had never in his entire life been in a place half as nice as this one was.

            "Suzahara?!"

            "Huh? Oh, yah I'm here. Damon?"

            "Yah."

            "Where are you?"

            "The kitchen. It's straight ahead and to your right."

            Toji followed his friend's directions and soon found himself in the huge, spotless, brand new kitchen.

            "Hey, dude, where's Hikari?" Damon asked the rather amazed looking Japanese boy.

            "Uh. I think she is coming later with Nishka."

            "I thought that she was coming with you. You were going to help her, were you not?" Rei asked with a skeptical tone.

            "Yah well I was."

            Damon laughed.

            "You said something stupid, didn't you?"

            Toji chuckled.

            "Whoah yah."

********************************************************************************************

            Ryoji Kaji rolled groggily out of his bed and headed for the bathroom. His head hurt. "I think Katsuragi's habits must be rubbing off on me," he thought to himself as he glanced into the mirror. Kaji opened the medicine cabinet, locating his toothpaste, and proceeded to brush his teeth before heading into the kitchen. Once there he proceeded to the counter and started up the coffee pot. Kaji looked over to his right and noticed a light blinking on the answering machine. He moved over to it and checked the numbers that had called in from the previous night. He recognized the first number as that of Hikari Horaki. Kaji sniffed and then let out a large belch.

            "Asuka!" He shouted, "Hikari called."

            Kaji received no response however and after a few moments proceeded to return to the hallway and head towards Asuka's room. "Weird," he thought, "they're both usually up by now."

            Kaji slowly slid open the door to Asuka's room and glanced inside. Asuka was definitely there, however Shinji was definitely there as well. Kaji noticed that both were lacking a good amount of clothing. He smiled and quietly retreated to the hallway, closing the door as he did so.

            "Shinji you dog."

            Kaji chuckled all the way back to the coffee pot.

*******************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu's eyes slowly opened to the morning light. The sun's rays were serenely filtering into her room from the window. She could feel Shinji's arms still wrapped around her. She yawned, and then slowly lifted Shinji's arms from around her waist. Asuka moved to the side of the bed and then stood, stretching as she did so.

            "Hmm. Clothes," she said to herself as she glanced around the room for something to wrap herself in. Then she noticed her door was not closed completely. Asuka walked over to it and peaked through the crack. She could see Kaji making breakfast in the kitchen.

            "Shiess!"

******************************************************************************************

            Kensuke Aida struggled up the pathway to his new. He was being careful not to drop both his, Nishka's, and Hikari's luggage (for some reason he had been entrusted with all of it). The two ladies in question were walking about 6 feet ahead of him, talking excitedly. Kensuke couldn't here exactly what they were talking about, but he caught words like "Toji" and "baka."

******************************************************************************************

            "Look, Hikari, I don't think that he meant it that way."

            Nishka Zalomai could see that they were now drawing close to the new house.

            "Are you serious?"

            "Well…Yah. I think maybe next time you should give him a moment to explain himself."

            "Hmm. Maybe you're right. I guess it's just going to take me some time to get out of class rep mode."

            Nishka nodded with a laugh.

            "And we both know Toji's not a bad guy. He's just a little dense sometimes. You know he wouldn't say something like that on purpose."

            "Yah," Hikari said cheering up, "I suppose you're right."

*******************************************************************************************

            "Shinji!"

            "Huh? Mpheykidll."

            "Wake up, Baka!"

            Shinji rolled on to his back, squinting in the light. He yawned.

            "What's wrong?"

            "Shinji, we overslept! Kaji's awake!"

            "What? Are your serious?"

            "Why would I lie?"

            Shinji gave her a funny look after that comment, forcing Asuka to rephrase.

            "Okay fine, I'm not lying."

            "Oh God. What do we do?"

            "Well," Asuka thought out loud, "I can still leave the room and it won't be suspicious, but if he sees you…"

            "So you have to distract him."

            "Okay," she said, "No problem."

            Asuka dressed as best as she could, and then walked out into the living room. Kaji looked at her as she walked towards him.

            "Good morning Asuka."

            "Good morning Kaji."

            "Breakfast sure smells good."

            "Thank you Asuka."

            "Your welcome."

            "You know, Asuka, I would hurry up and get Shinji out of your room before Misato wakes up."

********************************************************************************************

            Ryoji Kaji watched as the color drained from the red headed girls face. He laughed. Kaji then proceeded to watch as Asuka looked back into her room and told Shinji to hurry up. Then Misato left her room. She was fully dressed for the day, as well as bright eyed and bushy tailed. Kaji gulped. 

            Asuka turned in his direction with a pleading look on her face.

            "Katsuragi! Good morning! You look absolutely gorgeous."

            "Well thank you Kaji I-"

            "So gorgeous in fact that I must insist on taking you to breakfast immediately, and I wont take no for an answer."

            "Uh…, that's wonderful Kaji but-"

            "Excellent, my sweet. I know the greatest little restaurant."

            And with that a nervous Kaji escorted a bewildered, yet happy Misato Katsuragi out the front door.

********************************************************************************************

            "Finally you guys show up!" Damon Robinson said as he approached Asuka Langley Soryu to help her with her bags.

            "Yah," Kensuke said, "You're like two whole hours late."

            "It's a long story," Shinji responded.

**********************************************************************************************

            The graduation ceremony had been pleasant, although it really hadn't meant a great deal to Shinji, he was still happy to see everyone else so happy. He thought he even saw Misato shed a few tears. Afterwards they had all gone out to dinner. It felt great to have all of these wonderful people around him, his friends, and his family. Shinji Ikari tried his best to concentrate on these moments, to enjoy the present. He tried to forget what he had been told. The things that he knew. "The future." Shinji did his best to push these thoughts away and enjoy his dinner and his company.

*******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari stared silently out of the living room window. He watched the moon.

            "You still up man?"

            It was Damon.

            "Yes."

            "What's up?"

            "I wish I knew."

            "You should really stop worrying so much. Whatever happens, happens. There is no sense in worrying about it."

            "Perhaps."

            "Well, don't stay up too late man."

            "I won't."

            "Alright. See you in the morning."

            Shinji nodded as the American boy walked quietly to his room. The third child then returned his gaze to the stars. He was trying his best to hold back all of the fear he held inside. Shinji wouldn't cry. He wouldn't run. He couldn't. Not anymore.

            "Please. Please show me something. Anything. Please…Kaoru...please help me."


	16. Chapter 16: A proposition and a proposal

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and related trademarks are property of Gainax.

Life. Loss. Rejection. Pain. Love. Death. Rebirth. Heaven. Hell.God. Power. Lust. Temptation. Rage. Control. Choice. Sin. Identity. Torment. Renaissance. Revolution.

These words, flashing nonchalantly, meanings scattered, points obscured. "It is only myself, for I am me." Shinji was the only creature left. Abandoned to claw his own existence from the ruin of the earth; this reality know as life. The black moon loomed large.

**************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari awoke suddenly, his body drenched in sweat. He found himself out of breath and shivering, whimpering.

"Shinji, are you okay?"

Asuka Langley Soryu was awake now as well. She sat up and attempted to look him in the eyes. Shinji was doing his best to control his breathing. After a few more moments he gave up and laid back down onto his pillow. 

"Asuka it…I don't know…it's just…it's coming."

"What's coming?"

"I don't know."

Asuka crawled over to Shinji's side of the bed and wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you going to be alright?"

Shinji looked over at her face. It held genuine concern.

"I think I'm going to take a walk."

"Shinji, its two A.M."

"I know. Just…don't worry. I'll be fine."

With those parting words Shinji stepped out of bed and fumbled to put on some clothing in the darkness. With his task done, he headed to the door out of the room, and shortly afterward to the door out of the house.

**************************************************************************************

The night air felt crisp and cool to Shinji Ikari as he sauntered slowly along the small stone path out from the house. He looked upward. The moon really was beautiful. Shinji continued his walk, not really knowing where the path would lead him, or why he was walking.

*************************************************************************************

Kensuke Aida paused for a moment to look at her, laying his book down as he did so. He watched her for a time; watched her read. They were lying on her bed, reading as the morning sunlight danced through the window panes. Her blonde hair was spread out on the mattress, and she was on her back. If there had ever been an embodiment of beauty that Kensuke Aida had known, surely it was her. She was smart, but not really the kind of intelligence one found in books. She simply had a wonderful "common sense" about her. Nishka was the kind of person that you would trust for no reason at all if you were in a bad situation. She looked out for others as well (however Kensuke had observed that this might simply be her way of not having to deal with her own problems). She was unselfish, and in turn she never seemed to take anything in life too seriously. It was as if she had been through trials far worse than what she could possibly encounter in everyday life. This made her easy going. She would not care if he took her to the most expensive restaurant in Tokyo-3, or the cheapest ramen hut. Nishka seemed to simply be content with the fact that she wasn't living the way she lived before. Kensuke knew only a little of her past, but what he did know was probably the most influential part to her. She had told him briefly about her life as a street child, watching herself, and her family, slowly wither away. That was until NERV had stepped in. 

"Kensuke?"

"Uh huh."

"Um. What are you doing?"

She smiled as she said this, suppressing a small laugh.

"Watching you."

"Ahh, I see. Are you enjoying yourself?"

Kensuke chuckled.

"Of course."

Nishka paused for a moment before beginning to speak again.

"I received a letter from my family yesterday."

"Oh?"

Nishka nodded.

"And what did this letter say?"

"They want me to come visit them."

"In Russia?"

"Yes."

Kensuke whistled. 

"That's a commute."

When she didn't laugh Kensuke grew more serious in expression.

"You do want to go, right Nishka?"

The Russian girl nodded.

"Well yes, but…"

"But what?"

"But I want you to come with me."

********************************************************************************

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, Shinji. Please come in and have a seat for a moment."

Shinji Ikari followed commander Fuyutski's orders, slowly settling himself into one of the two chairs in front of the man's desk.

"Shinji, I have a proposition for you. But in order tell you what it is, I have to let you in on some sensitive material. What I am about to tell you is confidential, but I believe that you have proven your trustworthiness to this organization."

Shinji nodded and the commander continued.

"Shinji, over the past three years we have been studying both you, as well as unit 01, intensely. As you are of course aware that your relationship with your Eva differs greatly from that of other Evangelions. The biggest of these differences being the fact that you can power unit 01 by utilizing only your own soul. About the time we discovered that you had this ability, a project was nearing completion. It involved the creation of something we called the "A^2" engine. It was developed by the British NERV facility to bolster sync ratios. It was discovered that if more of a human mind was opened to that of an Evangelion, a higher sync ration could be achieved with less difficulty. However the engine had one fatal flaw. Once implemented into an Evangelion, that Eva would only respond to the first person to pilot it after installation of the new engine. Because of this, it was recommended for use only in the most dire of circumstances; when no other options remained. However once we began to receive data on your new abilities the project was taken back into development. As of one week ago this development has come to an end and the new "A^2" engine is ready for use."

"I'm sorry commander, but I don't see what this has to do with me," Shinji said, in a somewhat cool tone.

"I know. There's more."

Shinji nodded, motioning for the commander to continue.

"Over the past three years, SEELE's introduction of mass produced Evangelions has led to a sort of top secret arms race among the top nations of the world."

"What's the point of that? The dummy plug system was destroyed."

"Shinji, the new "A^2" engine allows for any man or woman with the proper psychological parameters to pilot an Evangelion." 

"What did you say?"

"And as an added bonus, the "A^2" engine still provides a substantial synchronization ratio boost. However the old catch still remains. The first person to pilot an Eva with an A^2 engine is the only person who can pilot that Eva ever."

"But, why?"

"Such is the nature of man Shinji, to forever advance himself no matter what the consequences of that advancement might be. And I am beginning to believe those consequences might be dire. Recently Top-secret information that only a handful of people in the world are aware of was leaked to several other countries in the U.N. This information has been withheld from the international community for almost three years now, but no longer."

"Three years sir?"

"Yes. The information is contained on a set of scrolls that were discovered below terminal dogma the day of the "cross" explosion that erupted into downtown Tokyo-3."

"What does that mean Commander?"

"It means that the world knows that NERV Japan has been withholding information from the international community. And now the Americans are demanding that we hand over the scrolls."

"Why is that?"

"Because the Americans believe that they are the dominant, and therefore most trustworthy, nation on the planet. Basically they believe that the fate of the world should be in their hands; not ours."

"I see."

"Indeed. This situation could very easily lead to war, Shinji. And the way international politics are at the moment, a war between America and Japan would also usher into affect a tangled web of military alliances that are currently in effect."

"World War III."

"Unfortunately yes. Even as we speak the hour of war grows closer. The American government is already demanding the return of the seventh child, along with unit X.

"Damon."

"Yes. However this war will not be fought using bombs and air power such as in the wars of the late 20th century. No, no. This war will be fought using Evangelions, and that means it will be for the most part a hand to hand war. "

Shinji Ikari said nothing, choosing to simply stare at the commander in speechless horror.

"You, Shinji Ikari, are the greatest Evangelion pilot this planet has ever seen. I  want you to lead the other Eva pilots, in both the original "unit" series, and the mass produced "gamma" series, into battle when the time comes. That is my proposition."

*************************************************************************************

Commander Kozo Fuyutski was a man who knew many things. A great deal of these things he had been told by Gendo Ikari, while still others he had learned from the new set of scrolls; the "Final judgment scrolls." The judgment scrolls, like the dead sea scrolls before them, laid out a scenario to bring about the final destiny of man. The new scrolls, however, provided no actual information to what this ending would be, only as to how it would have to be brought about. The Wraiths would of course have to be defeated, but that was only the beginning of the final conflict. Once this had taken place the true unit 01 would return from space and join with the black moon. This would physically manifest the second God (the new God created from instrumentality) upon planet earth. This god would wield the Lance of Longinus into battle for the destiny of the human race. The scrolls had shown Fuyutski what needed to be done to manifest the first god of earth. This god would be created by the will, body, and soul of the nine. This god would have to wield a new Lance. This Lance had yet to be created, but Fuyutski feared greatly how it was that he would have to go about creating it.

It was unknown to many the true origin of the lance itself, though Kozo knew what this origin was. When Jesus Christ had been crucified, a roman soldier by the name of Longinus had happened past his cross. Longinus drove his lance into the chest of Christ and left back to the place from which he had come. Ever since that day, the lance had become a holy relic. The Catholic Church had kept it hidden deep within the catacombs of the Vatican, along with numerous other items of interest. Once the Dead Sea scrolls had been found however, SEELE had used its influence to obtain the lance for its own purposes. The weapon had been bound forever inside of a scaled up Evangelion sized lance, laying in wait until the day it would be needed; the day of Third Impact. Fuyutski knew that Shinji would soon need a weapon of this caliber.

***********************************************************************************

"Damon?"

"Yes."

"Are we in love?"

Damon Robinson turned to look at the first child.

"I think that is something that you are supposed to decide for yourself Rei."

"How would I know if I was correct?"

"Well that would depend on how you feel about me."

"I feel…I feel as if I want to be around you all of the time."

Damon Robinson smiled at his blue haired companion.

"Me too," Damon said back to her. It was the truth. He thought about Ayanami almost constantly.

"There was a time when I did not care whether I lived or died," Rei said, "But now…I don't want to die if it would mean never seeing you again. And…I don't see a reason for me to continue to exist if you were to die."

Damon grew silent, his smile fading. She had just told him that she did not want to live if he could not be with her.

"I…Thank you, Rei."

"Sometimes…I wish to be closer."

"Closer?" The seventh child could feel his heart rate increase.

"Yes. The way Asuka and Shinji are."

"Do you mean physically?"

"Yes, among other things."

"Wow," Damon thought to himself. "I guess she has always been kind of forward, but jeez…"

"And why is it that you wish to be closer to me, Rei?"

"Because I wish to express my…"

Rei trailed off. "Why do I have these feelings?" She thought to herself. "I always want to be with him. And I always want to be close to him. I must want to express these feelings to him, that is why. So these feelings must be…"

Rei Ayanami looked into the American's eyes.

"Because I want to express my love for you."

"So you are in love with me?"

"Yes. I am."

Damon nodded slowly as he contemplated what had just been said. Then she asked him the question he had expected.

"Do you feel the same way about me?"

Damon Robinson had always been a man of impulse, and he rarely debated with himself. He knew that he wished to be with no one else; he knew that Rei was the one. He did not know how or when he had realized this though, only that it was a feeling that he couldn't deny; she was like a piece of his being that he had lacked before they had met.

"Yes, Rei, I do."

"Then you love me as well?"

"Yes."

"So you wish to be closer to me," she said as she straddled the seventh child where he sat on the couch.

Rei Ayanami felt her mind being overcome by the things that had been said.  She had never in her life been told that she was loved, and she found the thought of this absolute acceptance intoxicating. For the first time she felt this "love," this absolute of emotion. At last perhaps her life would have meaning. She could feel the urge to express this feeling of love rising from deep within her very soul. "Does he feel the same?"

"Do you wish to be closer right now?" She asked.

Damon noticed the weight of her body upon his own, as well as the look of longing in her eyes. The thing that caught his attention the most however was her emphasis on the words "right now."

"Rei,…do you mean right now right now? Well…I…Uh…Rei don't you think…n-n-normally…usually…most people get married before they do this sort of thing," Damon managed to stutter out. He was utilizing every single scrap of will power he possessed to resist the beautiful girl looking into his eyes. If for nothing else he at least owed it to his father and his faith.

"Then, do you wish to get married, Damon?"

"What the…Did she just say that?" Damon thought to himself as he tried to recall if what she had just spoken had actually been uttered at all. "Think Robinson, think! Or at least say something to her; do something!"

"Do you?" He asked.

To Damon's astonishment she nodded, smiling as she did so. "Marriage? That's what people do when they fall in love, right?" he asked himself, completely in shock from what had just been said. "And I love her, and she loves me." Damon Robinson returned his gaze to the first child's eyes. 

"Rei?"

"Yes."

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

*************************************************************************************

"Kensuke? Are you alright?"

"Oh yah, I'm good."

In reality nothing could be further from the truth. Kensuke Aida was freezing cold. He did however try his best to smile at her, through his chattering teeth.

"Perhaps we should go buy you some gloves or something."

"Yah. I'd like that."

The two pilots continued their walk down the streets of Moscow, now in search of a clothing store. In truth Nishka Zalomai saw the black vans driving towards them, it just did not register in her mind what that could mean. Seconds later both pilots found themselves restrained and blindfolded by a group of armed soldiers.

*************************************************************************************

"Commander?"

"Yes, Major."

Misato Katsuragi was talking to Kozo Fuyutski from her cell phone.

"What did Shinji say?"

"You were right, Major. He refused. I believe the only pilot we now have who is trained and willing to take human lives is the American boy. However right now the United States is demanding his return. I fear war could be imminent. Plus we have no real jurisdiction to keep him here. He has diplomatic immunity to an extent, but he is not a citizen."

"I understand."

************************************************************************************

"Your what?!"

"Engaged."

"I…How…Why? Damon!" Asuka Langley Soryu was having trouble believing her American friend at all.

"You just decided to propose right out of the blue?"

"Well…She said she loved me, and I said I loved her. Marriage came up and she said that she would like to be married to me. I figured if we both love each other, then that's the next step. So I just asked her."

The Second child was still in utter disbelief. 

"Well, am I allowed to tell everyone else?"

"I don't see why not."

***********************************************************************************

"Hello?"

"Misato?"

"Yes."

"It's Asuka."

"I know that. You have to give me some credit; we lived together for three years."

"Sorry. Anyway you're never going to believe what I have to tell you right now."

"Well don't leave me in suspense."

About two seconds later Major Misato Katsuragi slammed the brakes on her car.

"They're what?!?!"

**************************************************************************************

"Commander?"

"Yes Major, go ahead."

"I think I have the solution to the problem with the Americans and the seventh child."

"Is that so?"

"Why yes. You see, the whole citizenship problem is really nothing a shotgun wedding can't solve."

*******************************************************************************

Commander Kozo Fuyutski collapsed into his chair after his telephone conversation with Major Katsuragi. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh, or shed tears of joy. However he didn't get the chance to do either.

"Sir!"

"Yes Aoba, go ahead."

"We have just receive word from section 2 that designated 8th child Kensuke Aida, and designated 6th child Nishka Zalomai have been abducted in Moscow."

"What? By whom?"

"The Russians, in conjunction with an American Special Forces team."

"My God…"

*********************************************************************************

"And what did you tell the Commander?"

"I refused," Shinji said to Xiang."

"Why did you refuse?" The old master asked.

"Because I don't want to kill people."

"I see. But if your decision is made, then why is that we are discussing that decision?"

"Two of my closest friends have been abducted. I may be the only person with enough skill to bring them back."

"Shinji, you once told me that you would do anything to protect the woman you loved. You told me that you would die for her. Would you kill for her?"

"I don't know," Shinji looked at the floor, "Yes I would kill for her."

"How is this different? If you are willing to kill for one person, then how is that different than killing for others?"

"I have no right to decide the fate of others."

"Perhaps that is true. But is it not also true that you have decided the fate of mankind on several occasions already?"

"I…"

"Shinji, do you fear death?"

"I do not know."

"In truth death is simply a part of life."

"But I…"

"You knew this war would come, did you not? Have you not seen it coming?"

"I have."

"Shinji we both know that regardless of what I say to you at this moment, the choice you have maid cannot be changed."

Shinji knew that Xiang was right. He could not run away from this. This was what Koaru had spoken of all those years ago. The mark on his chest, his return from third impact, it had all been leading up to this. This was the beginning of the end.

**************************************************************************************

"Commander Fuyutski?"

"Yes. What is it Shinji."

"I'm in."


	17. Chapter 17: Shot heard round the world

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion all characters and related trademarks are property of Gainax.

            "But Shinji why do you have to go?"

            "Because I have to."

            "No you don't. Fuyutski has no right to send you out there. This is a matter of international politics, it has nothing to do with Angels or Wraiths or anything making an Eva necessary," Asuka Langley Soryu said with an exasperated look in her eyes.

            "How do you know that it isn't necessary to use Eva?"

            "Because if it was, then they would have sent me of course…I mean, they wouldn't send you alone."

            "I won't be alone."

            "Oh really? And who else is going on this little camping trip?"

            "As far as I know, about eight 18 year old JSSDF troopers."

            "What? That doesn't make any sense, why would they send such young soldiers with you?"

            Shinji Ikari stopped walking. He turned around to face the second child.

            "Because you need to be 18 to join the JSSDF, and you need to be born after Second Impact to pilot an Evangelion."

            "Pilot an Evangelion? Shinji what the fuck are you talking about?"

            Shinji said nothing. He was terrified about going back into battle. It had been 3 years since he had seen actual combat. And then he had been fighting against Angels and Wraiths. Now he was fighting against human beings; other kids barely older than he. He had been relatively okay about killing Angels, with the exception of Koaru. It was harder for him to kill a Wraith knowing that they were made up of trapped human souls. But killing actual humans…Shinji was still struggling to come to grips with what that meant. "But taking the lives of others is worth saving the lives of my friends, right?"

            "Shinji! Talk to me goddamnit!" Asuka was yelling now.

            Shinji reached down and pressed the button on the wrist of his plug suit. He could feel the suit fit itself snugly to his body. The Third child looked back ahead of him. This was it; he had reached the transport bay elevator. Fuyutski would be waiting for him on the other side.

            "Look Asuka, I'm sorry that I have to do this. I know that you are worried about me, but if something was to attack Japan while I was gone, they would need you here; you're the best they've got." 

Shinji was trying his best to make her feel better by appealing to her all important pride, even though he knew that Damon was the best Japan currently had. Though he also knew that the American boy would probably be leaving soon. Fuyutski would not go to war with America unless he absolutely could not avoid it. Shinji knew that this was the real reason that he was going on this mission alone.

            "Don't you dare try to appease me with those bullshit excuses, Shinji! We both know that Fuyutski would send that baka Damon out before me."

            Asuka wasn't quite sure why she had called the American boy that. In truth she liked him a lot. But at this point she was just very pissed off at Shinji. She could tell that he wasn't telling her something.

            "Asuka, look, leave Damon out of this. We may never see him again."

            "I highly doubt it. That impulsive fool just proposed to your sister!"

            "He what?"

            "You heard me Ikari."

            Shinji closed his eyes and balled his fists. He simply did not have the will power to deal with everything that was happening around him at this moment.

            "Asuka…" Shinji said, trying to calm himself.

            "Look Shinji, just tell me what is going on."

            "Fine," Shinji said to himself, as he let out a long breath.

            "The Russians and the Americans are holding Nishka and Kensuke hostage somewhere out in Siberia. I've been selected to bring them back."

            Asuka Langley Soryu couldn't believe what she had just been told. What did that mean? War? Was that where this was headed?

            "No. Oh God. Please tell me you're lying," Asuka said, hoping that what had been said was not true.

            Shinji Ikari stepped into the open elevator in front of him. He pushed the button for the top floor, and watched as the elevator doors slowly closed; watched as the second child tried to contain her rage and her tears.

***************************************************************************************

            "And it's all done? It's all legal?"

            "Well Hikari, why don't you look for yourself?" Misato Katsuragi said as she handed the certificate to the brown haired girl.

            "So you just had a judge do it?" Toji Suzahara asked, scratching the back of his head as he did so.

            "Yup," Misato said, "Just this morning."

            "Wow," Hikari said, "And they were both okay with this? I mean I've dreamed about my wedding ever since I was a little girl, the dress, the cake, everything."

            "I know. I felt kind of bad. But it was necessary to keep Damon in the country. Even so I promised that as soon as all this trouble with the Americans was over that they could have a real ceremony with all the fun stuff," Misato said.

            "Oh. Okay then. I'm glad. I've always wanted to be in a wedding," Hikari said with a smile.

            Toji groaned. Hikari shot him a look and the Japanese boy quickly put his hands over his mouth. Misato smiled. She had tried her best not to tell them about the true nature of the conflict with the American government. They had not been told about Kensuke and Nishka's abduction, nor had they been told about Shinji's mission to rescue them. Section two wanted to make sure as few people knew as possible in hopes that the war might still be avoided.

            "Well," Toji said as he pulled his hands away from his mouth, "Where are Damon and Rei anyway?"

            Misato's grin grew wider at this question.

            "Oh, I'm sure they're fine. Probably off having fun somewhere," Misato paused before she added, "It is there honeymoon you know."

**************************************************************************************

            "Attention!"

            Shinji Ikari watched as the eight pilots snapped instantly to attention following Commander Fuyutski's order.

            "Here they are, Shinji. From left to right we have privates Takahashi, Amori, Dazai, Endo, Fujishima, Hirata, Iwakura, and Kasamatsu."

            Shinji nodded.

            "At ease," The commander yelled, releasing the pilots from their salute.

            After a brief moment longer, Fuyutski motioned for Shinji to follow him, which he did. After about a two minute walk they entered a massive launching bay.

            "Gamma series," Shinji said to himself.

            The Gamma series closely resembled Unit 03. Shinji shuddered slightly from the memories that the short lived Eva had brought. Unlike unit 03 though these Gamma Evangelions were only black on their limbs however, for their torsos and lower faces were painted a silvery gray.

            "Here they are Shinji, mankind's new weapons."

            Shinji nodded to the commander. Then after another short moment he was led to the briefing room with his men.            

            ************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson ran his left hand slowly through the hair of the first child, kissing her fully as he did so. His right hand he kept cupped upon her cheek, and then, after several moments more, ran it down the length of her chest, hovering briefly around her breasts, and then down her torso. Soon he noticed that she had opened her eyes. Even in the darkness the deep crimson seemed to light up the room. He did his best to return her gaze; to return her passion. The seventh child found that he had lost himself in her eyes, as if he was journeying through her very soul. And perhaps he was. Damon felt her reach out in the darkness, wrapping her right arm around his back, and placing her left behind his head. Soon afterward he felt her pulling him; rolling him horizontally across the bed, and then Damon found her above him. The blinds in the room were open slightly, and through the slits he could see the subtle moon light flow onto her, illuminating her pale body in the darkness. The seventh child drank in every part of the first, from the white nails on her pale toes, to the smooth skin of her uncovered body, to the light tips of her blue hair. Her presence was absolutely intoxicating; her body crafted by God in the image of what beauty was meant to be.  He could hear her soft moans, and seconds later pulled her closer; close enough to whisper in her ear.

            "I love you."

*******************************************************************************************

            "I can't believe he just proposed to her like that! I mean, my God…Kids these days."

            Misato Katsuragi did her best to keep from laughing as her only human room mate said this. But the effort was futile.

            "And what might I ask is so funny, Major?" Ryoji Kaji asked with a sarcastic grin.

            "Well," Misato started, "I just don't see what's so wrong with it."

            "Oh come on Misato, there barely 18, if that."

            "Call me a romantic but I don't think that there is ever a time to early, or to late, for marriage if two people truly love each other."

            Kaji made an odd sort of sputtering noise, and spilled a bit of his coffee.

            "Well…I suppose it's okay if you look at it that way, Major."

            "You see what I mean? At least Damon had the courage to propose. No one can say now that he is afraid of commitment. I mean, that would be the worst, to love someone and never be able to actually express it."

            Kaji spilled more of his coffee.

            "I see." 

            "Anyway Kaji, while were on the subject of marriage, did you know that today is the three year anniversary of when you proposed to me…"

            "Really I didn't-"

            "…and you still haven't set a date."

*******************************************************************************************

            "Alright, everybody listen up. The team dynamic breaks down like this: Shinji is the head of attack team 1, with Takahashi and Amori as his wingmen. Dazai is the head of attack team 2, with Endo and Fujishima as his wingmen. Hirata and Iwakura are scouts for the team as a whole, and Kasamatsu will be transporting the assault team. It is an absolute necessity that Kasamatsu be protected at all costs. If he goes down, we lose all of the assault shock troops that have been supplied for the actual raid of the facility. Is that understood?"

            "Yes sir, Commander Fuyutski Sir!"

            "Good. Now to go over some of the finer details. As you are all of course well aware, the Gamma series has several weaknesses. In order to allow any person, regardless of Marduk status to pilot certain cuts to the original design were necessary. To allow for all possible ego parameters to be satisfied, the Gamma series is equipped with a very generalized soul, and though mass produced and slightly modified, remains closely similar to the dummy plug system used in the original SEELE units. However, because of this, the Gamma system is forced to rely on a substantially weakened AT field. As you know the S^2 engine will provide you with all the running power you will need for movement, but you must also be aware that the S^2 engine is supplying power to your AT field. That means that if your field takes too many hits, then your S^2 engine will need to pump more power to the field for protection. However, when this occurs you will only have 5 minutes until the S^2 unit becomes depleted. And you all know what that means."

             "Yes sir, Commander Fuyutski Sir!"

            "I would also like you all to remember that no AT field is ever invincible, even at full power. With enough power linked up to the proper weapon, your field can be penetrated. So I want you all to be on the lookout for that as well."

            Shinji knew what the commander was referring too. The same tactic had been applied by NERV against the Angels. All of Tokyo 3's power had been re-routed to ensure the success of the operation.

            "One last thing. If any of you get yourselves into a fix you can't get out of, remember that Shinji can supply cover with his AT field if necessary. Understood?"

            "Yes sir!"

            "Good. Get your bags packed and ready to go. We're set to arrive in Siberia at zero hundred hours, so let's get moving. Dismissed."

            Shinji stood up with the rest of his team and headed for the door out of the briefing room. He watched the men walk out and head for their transports. "These men are putting their lives in my hands," Shinji thought to himself, "I can't let them down. If I do, that means they won't make it back. I can't let that happen. I would never forgive myself." Shinji could almost see the faces of their crying mothers. And then he wondered if his own mother would ever have expected her son's life to turn out the way it had. Shinji sighed.

            "Shinji, a word please."

            It was commander Fuyutski.

            "Yes commander?"

            "You are doing a very noble thing today. I just want you to know that. They always talk about the assassin who started world war I, and the men who stormed the beach at Omaha in world war II. Tonight, Shinji, you will go down in history as well."

            "Commander, there is a difference between this war and the wars before it."

            "Oh?"

            "They say history is written by winners. But if we don't win this war, there won't be any humans left to talk about it at all."

*********************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu found herself sitting in an empty church. It was almost midnight, and she was entirely alone. The second child was doing something she had not done in a very long time; praying. Asuka was praying that her lover's life would not be taken on this night; praying that he would return to her. The German girl found herself wishing that she could have had a normal life; that she could have lived happily and contentedly with Shinji Ikari. But she knew that wishing was pointless. That's why she had decided to pray. The mark on Shinji's chest was plain to her, and she knew that it could not be mere coincidence. Things were happening for a reason. She kept seeing images of Shinji bleeding on the roof, in the rain. He was alone, and she did not help him, she could not help him. She had been frozen; unable to move. That night he had demonstrated the strength she knew he had, even if he didn't believe so. Asuka was now praying for something else than simply being with him. She was now hoping beyond hope that God would again give her the chance to fight alongside him. If Shinji was to die than Asuka Langley Soryu prayed that she could die next to him, gloriously, on the field of battle; the tragic love story of their lives finally concluded.

********************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari watched the display in front of him as his Eva rapidly lost altitude. The clouds around him were parting now, and he could clearly see the frozen white expanse laid out beneath him. The forest where the rally point was to be placed could now be easily seen. Shinji looked up now, seeing his squad mates plummeting mere seconds above him. This was it. Moment's later Evangelion unit 01 hit the ground. Shinji could feel the legs bend as they recoiled from the force of hitting the surface, and then he slowly found control and stood as the rest of his team hit the ground around him.

 The display in Shinji's cockpit immediately began to light up with status reports on his squad. A display of all eight friendly units was shown on the left side of his screen. The display showed damage received to each individual body part on his team, as well as the amount of energy remaining in their Gamma AT fields, and therefore, their S^2 engines as well.

"Alright, let's lock and load," Shinji said, and upon hearing his command the Eva's around him pulled their rifles from their back holsters and began reaching for their clips. The third child did the same, pulling one of eight clips from the attachment on his leg. Once this was done, Shinji nodded to Hirata and Iwakura. The two scouts signaled back and pulled their progressive knives out as they began to slowly walk through the forest.

***************************************************************************************

Private Iwakura could now plainly see the target installation through the pale green of his night vision display.

"Hirata?"

"Yes, I hear you go ahead."

"Do you see what I'm seeing?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Iwakura opened up his radio channel to the rest of the team.

"Shinji, we have visual confirmation of the target."

"Good. Is the path clear?"

"No. Hirata and I can see at least four Ruskie Eva's near the perimeter, but its likely that there are several more."

Shinji sighed. "Damn it," he said to himself. Somewhere deep down he had hoped to encounter no resistance.

"Alright," Shinji said, "How do we reach your position?"

"I'm downloading the path to your HUD map as we speak sir," Iwakura responded.

Unit 01's screen began to flash signaling to its pilot that the map had been successfully received. Shinji quickly glanced over the map before sending it to the rest of the team.

"Amori! Takahashi! Lets go," Shinji said over his comm. to his two wingmen, "We're heading out first. Attack team two is to bring up the rear while keeping Kasamatsu out of harms way. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Here goes nothing," Shinji said to himself.

***************************************************************************************

Nishka Zalomai sat in complete darkness. It had been this way since she had been abducted the day before. Complete isolation and complete darkness. She had given up calling out for Kensuke. It was now apparent to her that the cell was likely sound proof anyway. Nishka knew that she had been tricked by her own government. Though as to why she was not sure. The sixth child decided that it would be best if she tried to get some sleep.

*************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari let his eye stair up the spine of his rifle, an enemy Evangelion centered in his sites. 

"Don't move," Shinji shouted to the Russian pilot, "You're surrounded. Drop your weapon and you don't have to get hurt."

The red and blue Eva in his sites seemed hesitant. It kept glancing around from Shinji to the members of the second attack team. Then, finally, it moved to place its weapon on the ground. Suddenly however three other Russian Evangelions managed to make their way into the small clearing. Upon seeing their comrade's predicament they immediately snapped their rifles up to firing position.

"Shit!" Shinji said out loud to his team.

"You three! Don't move!" Dazai shouted to the new bogeys that had entered the clearing, "No one needs to get hurt."

Shinji Ikari was unsure of who fired first; all he knew was that he had heard the sound of gunfire, and soon after that the forest was ablaze with light and sound. All at once it Shinji could see the AT fields of everyone involved activate as they began to reflect the high impact rifle rounds off into the distance. Red lights began to flash on the left side of Shinji's screen as he watched AT field energy meters begin to rapidly drain, and then the first blood was drawn. The third child watched as Dazai at last penetrated the field of one of the Russian pilots. The bullet stream moved horizontally up from the stomach, splintering the chest and the abdomen as it reached up to the neck and head. LCL began to spew violently from the Eva as the bullets cut deeper, until Dazai finally managed to sever the head from the rest of the body. The enemy pilot's screams at last ceased as Shinji cut the comm. link and watched the blossoming explosion overtake the surrounding trees.

"I'm hit!" Amori yelled to the rest of the team.

Shinji glanced at his monitor to see the display for Gamma 03. Seconds later the display for Amori's right arm went blank, and a new wave of screams again filled the Third child's ears.

"Stay low and head north, we'll flank them and come up the side!" Shinji shouted.

"Yes sir!" 

The third child ducked low behind the trees and snaked around to the left with his wingmen following closely behind. Shinji spied something moving to his right and centered his scope. Everything seemed to go into slow motion as Shinji pulled the trigger. The bullets arced into their curved trajectory; the white hot vectors cutting cleanly through the skull of the Russian Eva. If it were not for the fact that Shinji was protecting the rest of his team, he may very well have broken down and cried; cried for the second murder he had committed in the 17 years he had been alive. The third child could feel his mind reaching out for aid; screaming for comfort. "Asuka," Shinji said to himself. They had yelled at each other as he left; he had left her crying. "If I don't make it back tonight…I hope she knows that I love her."

************************************************************************************

Koaru Nagisa woke suddenly in his sleep. The fifth child had heard the sound of a gunshot pierce his dreams. He stood from his bed and walked to his window. The ocean was calm. The boardwalk was silent; there were no joggers or rollerbladers upon it at this time of the night. Koaru could feel the cool breeze blow off the water to his window. If there was one thing the fifth child did not like about California it was the cool nights. He sighed.

"Shinji…"

*************************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari finally shouldered his rifle. Unit 01 was stained with LCL, both the enemies, as well as private Endo's. He had tried his best to save Endo, but in the process of pulling the entry plug free the enemy had overtaken him. 

"Shinji?"

"Yes."

"This is commander Ikari. You should have about an 18 minute window before reinforcements show up."

"Understood."

"Tell Kasamatsu to unload the assault team."

"He already is sir."

"Good."

"Once they're inside, keep your eyes and ears open. If reinforcements come early and your team goes down there wont be any way to get Aida and Zalomai out of harms way if the assault team is successful."

"I understand."

"That is all."

Shinji glanced at the destruction around him. The forest was ablaze, and felled Evangelions littered the ground; the ice stained red. The third child had never felt further from home in his entire life; further from the people that mattered. "How will they even be able to look at me when I come back?" he thought, "How can you look a killer in the eyes?" Shinji Ikari had no answers to these questions.


	18. Chapter 18: Red dawn

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and related materials are property of Gainax.

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to all my reviewers who have been with me for every update. Hououza, ST Pika, thanks go out to you both. Also I completely rewrote the first chapter, originally called the prologue. I about tripled it in size and added a lot to it so that it fits in better with the resolutions that come about in the "Truth" chapter. I would really appreciate it if you guys could review it for me. Thanks.

*******************************************************************************

"Can anyone hear me! Over!"

Shinji Ikari was suddenly pulled from his thoughts as his comm. went off.

"Yes this is Shinji."

"Captain Ikari?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Sir this is captain Shima of the assault team. We have been overtaken sir."

"Overtaken?"

The mind of the third child began to play with the possibilities of what that could mean.

"Did you manage to retrieve Aida and Zalomai?" Shinji asked.

"Affirmative. They are fine for the moment. But we have been pinned down sir."

"How so?"

"There is a sniper blocking our route out of the facility and a squad of troops trying to break in from the other side."

"Goddamnit!" After Shinji had said this out loud he regretted having done so. It wasn't what the soldiers needed to hear from a captain at a time like this.

"Captain Ikari?"

"Yes."

"Is there any sort of plan B sir? A fail safe?"

"I'm sorry captain but there is not."

"Then what do we do sir?"

Shinji's mind was in absolute turmoil despite his relatively calm words. There was so much death, it was all around him. He felt confronted by it; as if it would overtake him if he failed. "Those men are trapped, and Kensuke and Nishka are with them," Shinji repeated to himself in his mind. "There isn't another plan; one assault team, one shot, that's it. We can't use the Evangelions, there is too much of a possibility that everyone in the facility would be crushed, plus when the reinforcements arrive…" Shinji looked to the upper right portion of his screen. There was only an estimated twelve minutes left until the Russians would return in force. Shinji closed his eyes. 

"Amori!" Shinji shouted to his closest wingman.

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to remove my entry plug and set it next to the main entrance to the building."

"What? But sir…"

"That is an order."

********************************************************************************

Shinji Ikari could feel the cold of the ice through his plug suit as he stepped free of his entry plug. He found that he was breathing heavily all ready, and he watched as his breath steamed as it hit the air. The Third child took a step with his right foot and almost fell to the ground. Shinji tried his best to get his breathing under control as he pulled himself back up to his full height. 

"Asuka, please help me. I have to do this. For you, and for everyone else. Just…whatever it is that I have to do inside of that building…please…Oh god please just tell me that you can bring me back again."

Shinji Ikari took another step, this time with his left. He did not stumble this time, though again he paused. Shinji Ikari looked to the stars.

"I'm no messiah. I'm not your son. I am a sinner. I am a killer. I kill for her, not you! Do you understand?"

Shinji found himself screaming these words, his finger pointed towards the sky.

"I don't give a fuck about you or this world! Mark me as you will, I don't care. I will scar until there is no place your blight hasn't touched. If you would make me kill then so be it. But don't you think for a moment that it is for you! I don't need your guidance. Leave me with my pain. I chose it. And I only choose to save you because instrumentality isn't real. Don't you ever forget that!"

The third child found himself shaking with fury, and, moments later, he began to run. Shinji vaulted head long into the gray hallways of the Russian base. He made a sharp right, and then a left turn, following the layout plan that Fuyutski had shown him. It was around this corner that Shinji Ikari encountered his first resistance. Four Russian guards with rifles at the ready; it was obvious that they had heard him careening down the hallways, for they were ready.

 The first volley of shots rang out as Shinji ignited his AT field, watching the bullets curve harmlessly away from him and rebound onto the walls. Shinji leaped into the air, landing a vicious kick to the face of the soldier closest to him. In their surprise the three other men aimed at the young pilot as he recoiled back up into the air. The third child made no effort to block these shots as the delayed reaction times of the other soldiers landed their bullets squarely into the chest of their comrade. Shinji kicked back off of the nearest wall to try and avoid as much of the return fire as possible. Shinji knew that if he ran out of energy to activate his field than he would die soon after. The third child landed back onto the ground and found his blade. He felt the glorious pain as it slid from his arm and he grabbed hold of its handle. With one quick slice the gun of one of the Russians was cleanly cut in two. The man panicked and tried to step backward as quickly as possible. 

"Bad move," Shinji thought as he impaled the frightened soldier as well as his comrade behind him with one quick thrust of his blade. Shinji let his weapon return to his body as the two men slumped to the floor. 

"One more."

Shinji turned to see the last Russian guard, he was yelling at the top of his lungs, and though Shinji could speak no Russian it was obvious that the man was telling him not to come any closer. The third child glanced at the hand of the soldier. He was carrying a grenade.

            Shinji shook his head.

            "Don't do it," he said.

            Shinji took a stepped forward and watched as the man's eyes changed from portraying rational fear, to suicidal insanity. The man pulled the pin.

 The third child watched as the small metal tab fell to the floor with a clinking noise. Shinji turned and looked the frightened man in the eyes. The third child said two final words to the kamikaze soldier before the flames erupted.

            "I'm sorry."

            Shinji extended his AT field around his body as the blossoming explosion melted the Russian man before him.

            "I'm sorry for what I have become."

****************************************************************************************

            "Commander!"

            Kozo Fuyutski turned to face the bridge.

            "Yes Aoba go ahead."

            "It's Lilith's egg sir, the energy patterns have returned."

*****************************************************************************************8

            Asuka Langley Soryu exited the church where she had spent the better half of the last hour praying as she walked out into the streets of Tokyo 3. The sidewalks and alleys were completely vacant. There was not a soul on the streets in the entire city, except for two. Asuka could plainly see a man dressed entirely in white standing in the middle of the freeway onramp. His hair was long and black, and he was silhouetted ominously against the full moon looming behind him. Asuka could feel her will compelling her to walk to him, though it was against her better judgment. Moments later the second child found herself standing next to the man in white; standing and staring upon the moon.

            "It is a beautiful night," she said.

            The man made no effort to turn to the speaker; instead he continued to watch the moon as he gave his response.

            "Yes, it truly is. Except that…"

            "Except that what?"

            "Except that blood has been spilt this night."

********************************************************************************************

            It was the fifth time he had checked his gun that night. For some reason he just couldn't shake an overwhelming feeling of nervousness. This was the first time he had ever been on an actual mission since he had joined the army 3 years ago. That had been when the dreams had started. The visions of the boy with the cross. His team would always open fire on the young man, and they would always miss. The boy would dodge left and right, finally erupting in an orange light. It was always in the same corridor. This corridor. That was what frightened him the most. He knew that something would have to happen soon. His team had an entire squad of Japanese special forces soldier trapped in the other room. His mission was to make sure that the two escaped prisoners did not leave the building, though, like many soldiers, he was unsure about the cause for which he fought.

            And then all of a sudden it was happening. The dream was playing out before him. The boy at the end of the tunnel. The captain yelling commands, as bullets pierced the air around him. The orange light. The boy moved impossibly fast, and soon he found that his vision was coming in bursts, like viewing life through a strobe light. The boy appeared to be closer each time his vision returned to him, along with more of his comrades upon the ground. Soon the creature was directly before him.

********************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari could feel the quick red spray erupt as another innocent soul fell victim to his curse. He had begun to think of his life force as a curse; God's tool to hurt others. Shinji parted from his sorrows to look to the back of the hallway. 

            "One more…"

            Shinji approached the man He tried his best not to look him in the eyes, but he could not avoid it. In fact, the third child found that he could not look away. Shinji Ikari found that nothing about a person told more about them then there eyes. Shinji made a decision.

            "Go. Reinforcements should be here soon," Shinji said to the frightened looking man.

            "What? Your letting me go?"

            "Hurry."

            "But I don't know the way-"

            "Just follow the bodies."

            Shinji's expression was grave.

*******************************************************************************************

            Kensuke Aida watched in horror as the final barrier between himself and the enemy was breached. The Japanese soldiers around him were bristling as they shouldered their guns for a last stand. However, no enemies came. Instead, it was a lone figure; Shinji Ikari stepped through the door.

            "Captain Ikari?" The lead Japanese soldier said in disbelief.

            Shinji nodded.

            "Let's go. There isn't much time."

*********************************************************************************************

            "Takahashi?"

            Private Takahashi turned in his pilot seat and pressed the button on his comm..

            "Yes this is Takahashi. Go ahead Amori."

            "We only have a minute and a half left until reinforcements show up. Have you received word from captain Ikari?"

            "No. Nothing yet but…Hey wait there they are!"

            "Yes. Roger that, I see them. Tell Kasamatsu to pick them up. It's time to get the hell out of here."

*********************************************************************************************

            Nishka Zalomai watched through semiconscious eyes as the sun slowly rose, streaking the sky and clouds crimson. She was laying down upon a cot in one of the gigantic Evangelion transport planes. Nishka had been betrayed by her own country; the government had told her she was going to see her family, and instead had kidnapped her. But she had made it back alive, Kensuke as well, with the help of a group of brave soldiers, of which perhaps Shinji Ikari was the bravest. Nishka tried her best to close her eyes during the flight, but it was futile; sleep would not come so easily.

*********************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson sat silently on his bed as Rei Ayanami began to dress. "My God, she is absolutely the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen, and now she happens to be my wife," Damon thought to himself as Rei finished putting her underwear on again.

            "Rei?"

            The first child turned to face the seventh.

            "Yes?"

            When Rei got no response she walked over and sat on the bed. She found his hand and held it.

            "Rei, last night was amazing…"

            The blue haired girl smiled softly at the American boy. Damon stopped thinking about what to say next when he saw the small curl of her lips. A smile from Rei Ayanami was a rare treat, and in turn, one that he wished to savor as much as possible. However the smile upon his wife's face did not fade, in fact, it grew wider. Rei reached out and pulled the seventh child into an embrace.

            "Damon, you are the first person to ever want to be near me, let alone to love me. I can't put into words how this makes me feel about you, just know that I love you completely."

            Rei let herself relax the hug, and then pulled her face close to her partner's. Her eyes met his and they sat with their foreheads against the other as they simply watched for a time. Then, after several minutes, Rei found that she could not resist herself any longer, and met his lips with a kiss.

***************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari slowly walked up the stone path to the elegant house he shared with his only friends. He hadn't slept on the trip home, and felt as if he might never sleep again. He had done horrible things; things that many people were jailed or put to death for. Yet he had done these things to save the innocent; to save his friends. "Will they even be able to look at me again?" He did not know.

            Shinji was soon at the door, and he found it unlocked. He stepped inside and dropped his bags in the hallway for he did not feel like carrying them another twenty feet to his room for some reason. He proceeded in that direction anyway and soon found himself at that door as well. Shinji took a deep breath, and then turned the knob and pushed. The door, as expected, opened. He could see Asuka standing on the other side of the bed, gazing out the window.

            "Shinji…"

            Asuka turned and walked towards the third child slowly, tears starting to come. When she reached him, she wrapped him in a hug, and let her head rest upon his shoulder. Shinji found that he could say nothing.

            "I hate you."

            Shinji closed his eyes as her words came.

            "I hate you for making me cry. I hate you for leaving me here alone. I hate you for coming back alive."

            Asuka pulled herself from Shinji and landed a punch to his left shoulder, followed by a second, and a third. Shinji made no effort to stop her.

            "I hate you for letting me walk all over you. I hate you for respecting me. I hate you for comforting me. I hate you for making me love you so goddamn much."

            Asuka stopped her punching volleys and looked up at Shinji's face. What she found there frightened her. There was a horrible sorrow upon his features; a remorse that she could see cutting him strait through his very being. 

            Asuka took a step forward, and then another until she again found herself in Shinji's arms. She realized he still had not said anything since his return.

            "Please, Shinji. Say something."

            Shinji felt as if his very soul was being tormented. The faces of the men he had killed flashed before his eyes. The thought of the people who had had to die so that his friends might be saved was too much for him to bear. He had forsaken God, blaming him for what he had had to do. He had hoped that no matter what he had done, that no matter what he might have had to become to do what he had, that she could bring him back. This was the only real hope that Shinji Ikari felt he had. He hoped that the woman he loved could bring him back again. That somehow she could redeem him.

            "Save me, Asuka."


	19. Chapter 19: Redemption

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other associated material is the property of Gainax

            The third child could feel her; she was there, pressing against him in the dark. Yet at the same time he felt as if her warm grasp was passing through him, it was as if she was fading. Slowly leaving him with his pain and his grief, alone to fend against the harsh realities of the existence he had chosen. Shinji Ikari knew that this was not her fault; he knew it to be his own.

            "Asuka?"

            There was silence for a time, and then, a response.

            "Yes."

            "What am I?"

            The second child found the phrasing of this question disturbing, though Shinji had said it this way on purpose. The third child found that he could no longer refer to himself as a person, he found that his conscience could not justify "Who am I?" any more.

            "Shinji…" Asuka Langley Soryu began with a saddened tone. She buried her head into his chest.

            "Asuka…There was a time when I knew the answer to this question, or thought I did. It happened when I left instrumentality behind. I found that I was myself; I said that in the end it was all just common sense. But now I do not know. I am not an angel. I am no longer a man. Perhaps I am a demon. Perhaps now I am an angel of death. A soulless creature. A beast that kills the innocent so that he can give the masses the pain that he lives for. So that all can suffer. Is this my purpose? Did I take heaven from the people of this planet; did I condemn them to hell?"

            "Shinji…Instrumentality wasn't heaven. It wasn't real."

            "Do you actually believe that heaven ever was? Perhaps instrumentality was the closest thing humanity could have had to peace."

            "It does not matter if the peace itself was not real."

            "Yes. I believed that once. But now that time seems so far away. But I do recall the feeling that brought me back. It was love; love for you. Do you think me selfish, Asuka?"

            "No, of course not."

            "But why? I brought suffering to all simply so that I could be with you."

            "That's not true Shinji. You gave everyone on this planet another chance."

            "Another chance for what?"

            "A chance that they might find love; a chance that they could find truth."

            "Asuka, I only gave them another chance to suffer. You have not seen what I have seen. Very soon a war will engulf this planet unlike anything this world has ever seen. Except afterwards there will be no instrumentality; no paradise to return to once all has been destroyed."

            "You have seen the end then?"

            Shinji paused for a time at this question. It was true; he had seen things that were to come, though in reality they were just feelings. Shinji could feel the despair of the world. But, he could not see the end.

            "No."

            "Then there is still hope," Asuka said.

            "Humans are not even strong enough to be at peace with each other, let alone to fight God."

            "No. Perhaps not."

            Asuka Langley Soryu rose from the position where she lay on the bed to her hands and knees, looking down onto Shinji. She met his troubled stare and held it, and then she continued to speak.

            "Maybe you are right, Shinji. Perhaps humans are too weak," Asuka lowered herself down until she was mere centimeters from the face of the third child, "And perhaps that is why God gave us you."

*******************************************************************************************

            In truth Toji Suzahara had heard Shinji arrive back home, but he had decided against going to greet his friend. He knew that it was very late and that he probably wanted to see Asuka first. However the real reason was that Toji did not, at any cost, want to leave Hikari Horaki's side. He glanced down at the sleeping Japanese girl cuddled next to him. The brown haired girl had been sleeping in the same room with Nishka since they had moved in, but when she and Kensuke had gone on their trip to Russia she had found herself lonely. Toji knew that his girlfriend was of a high moral standard, and when it came to things like spending the night with a boy, she was for the most part very shy and defensive. But at this moment she was obviously feeling secure enough with him to indulge a bit. And Toji was just fine with that.

*********************************************************************************************

            Rei Ayanami stirred as the morning sunlight began to filter through the windows of her room. She lifted the covers from her half dressed form and stood. Almost immediately Damon Robinson let out a sad grown as he reached about for his wife with his eyes shut. When he found that his hands could not locate her, he compromised and simply pulled the comforter back over his body. Rei smiled slightly as she watched this take place, then put on a robe and walked out to the kitchen. No one was up, but that was not uncommon at this hour. However Rei did notice a yellow sticky note on the refrigerator:

            Dear Rei, Toji, Damon, and Hikari,

                                                                        Shinji and I will be out for the day, so don't worry about where we are. We probably won't be back until late.

                                                                                                -Asuka Langley Soryu

******************************************************************************************

            Kensuke Aida awoke suddenly to an unfamiliar ceiling. The first thing he noticed was that he had a headache, the second thing he noticed was that Nishka Zalomai was sitting up in the bed beside him.

            "Nishka?"

            "Good morning," she said with a somewhat "too cheery for the situation" expression on her face.

            "Uh, good morning. Hey, where are we?"

            "The NERV infirmary."

            "Oh."

            Kensuke closed his eyes for a brief moment while taking a deep breath. 

            "We're alive."

            "Yes, yes we are."

            "I am so happy that you are okay," Kensuke said.

            The Russian girl smiled.

            "The feeling is mutual."

            Kensuke returned her smile.

            "Oh," Nishka said, casting her eyes to the ground, "I have some bad news though. The commander told me before you woke up."

            "Oh? What is it?"

            "You've been designated as the eighth child." 

            The blonde girl sat back to await the displeasure usually associated with one who is to be forced to go to war.

            "THE EIGHTH CHILD! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT NISHKA! THAT'S THE GREATEST NEWS I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE!"

******************************************************************************************

            Toji Suzahara reluctantly picked up the ringing phone, causing Hikari Horaki too stir.

            "Hello."

            "Toji Suzahara?"

            It was a voice he did not recognize.

            "Yes this is he."

            "Mr. Suzahara I have been asked to inform you that as the designated fourth child you are to report to NERV headquarters at 13 hundred hours tomorrow, along with designated ninth child Hikari Horaki. That is all."

            The phone went dead as the man hung up. Toji couldn't believe what he had just heard.

            "Toji? Hikari said, "Toji, what's wrong?"

            Toji knew without a real explanation what the phone call had meant. It meant that he was to pilot eva again, Hikari too. And there were no Wraiths. That meant they were going to war.

********************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu sped along the highway in the blue car that had been donated to her by her former guardian. The German girl had put a good deal of the money she had allotted from piloting into it and now it was no longer a danger to its operator and others. However, thoughts of the car did not penetrate into the thoughts of the second child at this time, nor did they enter the mind of the third. Shinji found himself ensnared by his sorrows; drowned by question and remorse. Asuka however had only one thought on her mind. Shinji had asked her once, during the third impact, to save him. He had begged her for a salvation that she had felt incapable of, or perhaps too proud to provide. The German girl would not allow herself to fail him again. This time she would bring him back; this time she would save him.

********************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari could feel the car pull to a stop, and he slowly raised his head to gaze out the window. He could plainly see the entirety of Tokyo 3 played out before him. Asuka turned to face him after setting the emergency break.

            "Well, here we are…"

            The third child nodded.

            "Well come on then, lets get out of this thing," Asuka said, motioning for Shinji to follow her lead out of the car, which he did. They had arrived at a grassy hill that overlooked the city. Asuka led Shinji to the pinnacle of one of these hills, and they both sat.

            "Peaceful, isn't it," Asuka said.

            "Yes. It truly is."

            "Shinji there was a time when you, we, fought to protect this city. And because of that, it stands here today, more beautiful and more wonderful than ever."

            Asuka paused for a moment to look for a reaction on Shinji's face. There was none. She decided to continue.

            "Even though in the end SEELE was just pulling the strings, we still fought for this place. It still exists right now because of what we did to protect it. Just think Shinji, if we hadn't fought the angels this wonderful, peaceful place would have been destroyed. Aren't you happy that it wasn't destroyed, Shinji?"

            "Yes, I am. It is truly a beautiful place."

            "Well, if what you have seen is true, then war will soon be upon us, if it is not already. But this time the ending is not written. You said yourself that you had no knowledge of how it would end. So that means it is up to you to decide how things will finish."

            "I have had this responsibility before, Asuka. And though the end of perfection may have been the right choice for me personally, I am not sure it was meant for everyone else. I fear that I may have deprived them of heaven."

            "No Shinji, that isn't true. How could it only be the write choice for you, if I returned as well?"

            Shinji knew the answer to this question. He had stumbled upon its conclusion when Koaru had helped him see the truth. 

            "It was the desire for love. The ultimate human acceptance. An acceptance beyond reason and rationality. Love is an acceptance that does not require understanding. This is what God meant for the people of this world. However, we cannot enjoy the bliss that is love without first knowing its opposites: pain and suffering. Because the human heart feels pain so easily, many are led to believe that life is pain. This torment continually pulls people from each other; everyday they grow farther from the truth."

            "But you know that is not entirely true Shinji. People still manage to love each other. And perhaps the ones who cannot find this love are able to rest easy in heaven; to bask in the eternal love of God after a lifetime of searching. Shinji…"

            Asuka Langley Soryu looked deeply into the eyes of the third child.

            "…was it worth it, to suffer through such a horrible life as you lived, so that we could be together now?"

            "Yes. Yes it was. I would have suffered through anything for you."

            Shinji Ikari said this knowing full well that he did not believe in heaven. He knew that if humans were to find bliss, then it would have to take place here on earth.

            Asuka smiled.

            "Is this existence not heaven in and of itself?"

            At this question Shinji found himself deep in thought. "Mother…" She had told him that as long as people had the will to live, that anywhere could be heaven. And he knew that if this was heaven, just he and Asuka in this peaceful place, then that would be enough for him.

            "Yes. Perhaps it is. But not everyone will be able to know this happiness."

            "And why is that?"

            "Because they will die. They will be killed in the battle to come. Some of them by me. Some already have."

            "Shinji…you didn't have a choice."

            "Does that make it right?"

            "No. I suppose not. But sometimes you have to look at the greater good."

            "No good can come from death."

            "But perhaps peace can."

            "Peace?"

            "Yes. If this is truly a war between two gods, then peace will result at the end."

            "No. If the God created by man wins then that would only bring the completion of instrumentality. There would be no peace, only an escape from the problem."

            "Then the other god must win, the god for which you fight."

            "The god for which I fight…"

            Shinji wished to fight for no one but Asuka. He had not chosen to fight for God. He simply considered it a coincidence that they wished for the same goal. Or was that it at all? He was not sure. Shinji knew that he was no longer human. His part in the third impact had changed him. He now possessed abilities that even the Angels had not had. 

            "I don't fight for God," Shinji said.

            Asuka said nothing. Instead she leaned over and began to unbutton Shinji's shirt. The third child did nothing to stop her. When she had finished, she pulled the shirt to the side, revealing his chest where a dark cross shaped scar could easily be seen.

            "Shinji, how did you get this scar?"

            "I,…I don't know. It appeared after I made my choice."

            "Your choice?"

            "Yes. I decided to fight for humanity. To save the future. Once I understood the things that had happened to me, and the reason that I returned from the third impact."

            "For love?"

            "Yes."

            Asuka leaned in closer to Shinji's face.

            "Are you still willing to fight for love?"

            Shinji nodded, and with that Asuka brought her lips upon his own. Shinji could suddenly remember all that was good in the world, the reasons for which he had made his choice were clearly presented to him again. He brought his hand up to the side of her face in the same way she had once done to him. Her skin was soft and pure; it was wonderful. He had felt as if he was so far away from her when he had been in Russia, as if she had been lost to him forever, but now her warmth seemed to ensnare him completely. Shinji had lost sight of how wonderful this warmth felt. Shinji began to feel again, and soon he was returning her kiss. Her taste pervaded his senses as he pulled her closer, until she was lying upon him in the grass. After several moments more, the German girl slowly pulled away, though it was not a great distance away. Her mouth was still open and mere centimeters from that of the third child. She waited for Shinji's eyes to open again, which they soon did.

            "Shinji, I love you more than life itself."

            She watched as tears slowly began to form in the eyes of the man beneath her. Shinji listened as Asuka continued.

            "It does not matter to me what you did, who you had to kill, or what you must do. Just know that I believe that this life is worth living because you are in it, and I am willing to fight to protect it. I am willing to die protecting it if it means that you could be happy. I want to be alongside you, no matter what. I do not care if is in love, or war, or peace. As long as you are with me I am happy; as long as you are with me, this place will be my heaven. I know how you feel about what others have made you become, but if you must kill to protect this heaven, then just know that it does not matter to me; I will love you no matter what."


	20. Chapter 20: Knockin' on heaven's door

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and related material is the property of Gainax.

            "It has been confirmed then? The Wraith?"

            "Yes Mr. President.

            The American secretary of war delivered this message without a trace of emotion. 

            "What is its current location?"

            "The target is about 100 miles outside of Sacramento."

            "Damn it." 

            President John Foreman sat back in his chair. "California," he said to himself.

            "Mr. President?"

            "What are our options?"

            "Well we have a massive payload of N^2 mines at our disposal, along with a sizable force of Gamma series Evangelions."

            President Foreman sat forward again.

            "Sean, we both know that N^2 weapons can't penetrate AT fields, and I highly doubt that the Gamma series would be able to hold out long against a creature like that."

            Sean Jackson sighed.

            "I know sir."

            "So then what do you suggest?"

            "Well sir, as you know, one of these creatures has never attacked outside of Japan before. I think it would be advisable to seek help from an outside source."

            "Are you suggesting that we allow Japan, a nation to which I currently have a declaration of war to sign against, to bring its most powerful weapons directly onto American soil? I don't have to tell you what I think about that, Sean. The Japs could easily turn around after beating that thing and take this country by force. I will not throw away 200 years of heritage, along with international dominance, so idly. I will not be the president that destroys America. Do you understand me?"

            "Yes, I do sir."

*****************************************************************************************

            "Commander Fuyutski?"

            "Yes, Aoba go ahead."

            "We have confirmed reports of a Wraith in the United States."

            "Understood. I will be on the bridge momentarily."

            Kozo Fuyutski hung up his phone. "A Wraith in America," he said to himself. He knew that could only mean one thing. All nine children were in Japan and accounted for. However, the location of only 2 of the 3 were confirmed.

            "Kaji and Shinji are here, that means that Koaru is in America."

            Fuyutski picked his telephone back up off of the receiver, quickly dialing Misato Katsuragi's home number from memory.

***************************************************************************************

            "We are out of options, if we are to keep Japan away we have to use it," President John Foreman said.

            Several moments of silence passed before the man on the other end of the line responded.

            "Agreed. Japan must be kept at bay until we are prepared to make our assault. If we fail at retrieving the scrolls then all will be lost."

            "What is the password?"

            "It does not matter. Only I can open the chamber."

            "I understand. I will have a jet sent for you shortly," President Foreman paused for a moment before adding, "I hope you know what you are doing, Keel."

*****************************************************************************************

            Toji Suzahara stepped out of his car. He found himself staring at the door at the end of the parking lot.

            "Toji?"

            The fourth child said nothing.

            Hikari Horaki slowly stepped out of the vehicle.

            "Toji? Are you alright?"

            The fourth child all of a sudden felt as if his leg was burning.

            "Yes."

            "You really hate this place don't you?"

            "Hikari, I don't want you to go through what I had to go through."

            "Toji, it will be alright. Even if we do have to pilot Eva, at least we will have each other."

            Toji Suzahara nodded, hugging the brown haired girl as he did so, however his mind drifted to another thought: "I know we have each other, but once this begins, who knows for how long?"

*******************************************************************************************

            Chairman Keel slowly made his way to the opposite side of the chamber. The room was massive, though there were only two things in it. Keel smiled to himself as he reached the far side. "So strange how something so small can change so much," he thought to himself.

            He stood before two objects. They were long and round, in fact they looked almost exactly like entry plugs, but black. They were AE bombs. SEELE's last line of defence. These were the only two such weapons in existence. They had been created in case Gendo Ikari ever got it into his mind to try and assassinate the council. Luckily that had never taken place. Keel moved his hand slowly across the smooth black surface of the smaller weapon. AE stood for artificial evolution, and that is exactly what the bombs did. They separated the AT field from the body, any body, human, Evangelion, or angel. The disembodied souls would then presumably "go to heaven." Keel smiled at this thought as well. 

            There was a high price to pay for such power however, for the creation of a weapon of this caliber was not for the weak of mind. Both weapons contained a living human soul, much like an Evangelion. However these souls had been given through sacrifice; they had been willingly given away. Even at Keel's age the creation of the first of these weapons, the smaller weapon, saddened him. However Keel had cried his last tears long ago. The woman had been told her only son was terminally ill. She was told that a cure was possible, but that it needed to be tested on a live human being to be sure. They had told her that she would not survive the tests. The brave woman had still agreed. Keel read the inscription on the bomb shell: Diana Robinson.  "What a small world," Keel thought. In truth it had been coincidence that her son had ended up being the seventh child. It was sad really, though he knew that motherless children made excellent pilots. Keel was fully prepared to use this weapon without regret; however, the second one caused him to falter ever so slightly. The larger bomb had enough power to instantly annihilate any person within its reach, and it had enough reach to overtake half of the planet. It had been designed with the specs of second impact in mind. Keel found himself praying that the first weapon functioned as expected. It was funny, that; how he still found himself praying. Keel shuddered slightly as he read the inscription engraved upon the larger weapon: Gendo Ikari.

*******************************************************************************************

            Koaru Nagisa quietly watched the television screen in the store window in front of him. He had set his groceries down, and was observing intently. 

            "So you have finally come for me," he said aloud. "Well Shinji I hope you have enjoyed these past three years. They may have been the most peaceful you will live to see. Can you hear me now Ikari? Does your mind not feel what you have long feared to come at last?"

*****************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu slowly hung up the telephone receiver. She took a deep breath while she watched the birds outside the window.

            "Shinji, that was Misato. She says that we are to report to NERV immediately…Shinji?"

            Asuka turned around to find the third child zipping up a suitcase.

            "Shinji, what are you doing."

            "Pack your things, Asuka. I don't know if this place will still be here if we get the chance to return, so I would take anything you want to keep with you."

            "What do you mean? Misato just asked us to come to NERV. That's all."

            "No, Asuka, Misato just asked us to go to war."

*******************************************************************************************

            "Japan understands your situation. We can have four Evangelions in your country in no more than a few hours."

            "Let me ask you something, Fuyutski, how stupid do you think I am?"

            "Don't be a fool. If you do not allow us to help there is no telling how many U.S. citizens might die."

            "Listen commander, any action Japan may take to enter this country will be regarded as an invasion of American soil, and thus an attack upon the American people. If you as much as come an inch into American airspace we will not hesitate to open fire."

*********************************************************************************************

            If there were any survivors from the AE bomb drop on Sacramento, they would have described a large object falling from the sky. They would have said that the weapon dropped for several seconds, before its computer chip located its target. The target in question was of course the fifth Wraith. Observers would have said that the beast turned to meet its assailant from the heavens; that it received its death with open arms. If somehow these people could have recalled further, they would have told you of a sudden flash, and then a burning sensation as the AT fields of over 1.5 million people living in the city and surrounding countryside of Sacramento were ripped from their bodies. However, there were no survivors.

*********************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari stepped through the final door, and found himself in front of his Evangelion. Asuka was beside him, and after a few more moments Damon and Rei emerged from a door on the opposite side of the chamber. The two girls slowly walked to the women's locker rooms, leaving the other two alone. Shinji nodded at Damon, and they entered the boy's locker room. After several minutes, both boys had changed into their respective plug suits, and were now sitting down facing each other.

            "It's hard to believe that this is happening," Damon said.

            "Yeah."

            "I never really thought that I would be in a war like this."

            Shinji nodded.

            "Neither did I."

            "Look, Shinji, whatever happens out there, remember the oath."

            "I remember."

            "And, we both have to do what we have to do. Don't hesitate. All is fair in love and war; you just never know what the other guy might try to do."

            "Alls fair in love and war…I guess we have the misfortune of having to experience both."

            "As long as we remember which one is more important to us…we will make it back alright."

            Damon Robinson hoped to God that his words were true. If he lost Rei he wasn't sure what else he would have to live for. His mother had died when he was young, and his father… "No don't think like that," he told himself…his father lived in Sacramento.

********************************************************************************************

            The souls of those purged from their bodies littered the city of Sacramento. Their AT fields swam through the air, mingling with those that at one time had constituted a Wraith. Heaven would have been the next step. However, these souls did not go to heaven. They simply lingered as the black moon swept slowly to the zenith of the sky overhead, and then suddenly, they rose. These souls would have seemed to have been trapped to the casual observer, had there been any, and soon the AT fields began to group together and convulse. The sky began to grow dark, and thunder sounded overhead. Moments later a new Wraith was born.

******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari found himself sitting in the cockpit of his Evangelion as he was transferred by plane towards California. He could see the vast oceans stretching all around him, and to his left, he could see Rei, Asuka, and Damon, ready to fight alongside him in battle. Then he heard the comm. crackle.

            "You are currently entering U.S. airspace, please turn around or you will be fired upon."

            Shinji then heard the pilot of his transport plane respond.

            "I am sorry, but we cannot comply."

            Suddenly Shinji could here the sound barrier being broken; the sound of fighter jets.

            Shinji looked to his right to see Japan's own fleet of fighters parallel the transport ships.

            "Here we go," Shinji said softly. He could now clearly see the coast line. Mere seconds later the fighters had engaged each other. Explosions began to blossom as the sky blazed with missiles and Vulcan fire. Shinji could feel his transport begin to make its descent, and then suddenly jerk to the right. He looked up in time to watch his transport take a missile directly to the bridge. Then Shinji's stomach began to turn as Unit-01 plummeted towards the ocean below. The third child let out a scream as he felt the contact with the water like a ton of bricks.

*******************************************************************************************

            "Asuka, Rei," Damon shouted into his comm..

            "Yes," they responded in unison. 

            "I don't think that we are going to make it to the coast, we may have to jump."

            "Affirmative," Rei said. The first child waited until an F-18 approached, and then leaped. She sliced the fighter in half, and then managed to hold on to the scrap as she felt the descent take hold.

            Asuka and Damon soon followed suit, leaping as far forward as possible. Asuka did her best to breath as the sensation of falling took hold. To get her mind off of the feeling, she reached for her assault rifle and began to open fire on the swarming F-18's.

**********************************************************************************************

            Koaru Nagisa found that he was no longer in control of his body. He was disappointed. He had hoped that San Francisco would be safer than the more southern sections of the state. 

People had now flooded the streets, and the fifth child found that it took all of his strength not to be trampled. From what he could tell, there were tanks everywhere, as well as missile batteries. The government was obviously fending off some sort of attack. Though from the looks of things the people of San Francisco were rather upset about this. They were tipping over cars and mobbing soldiers, even starting fires. The infantry men had opened up nearby fire hoses to control the crowd, but it didn't seem to be working very well. 

*******************************************************************************************

            "Jackson!"

            "Yes Mr. President."

            "What are the results of the strike?"

            "It was a failure sir. Another creature appears to have been formed from the remains of the first, coupled with the citizens of Sacramento."

            "What of Japan?"

            "They are currently just outside of San Francisco, but F-18's are no match for Evangelions sir. Once they hit the beach there is no point in fighting with conventional weapons."

            "Understood. I want you to dispatch the closest Gamma regiment to deal with them."

            "I'm not sure that's wise sir. There are currently large scale riots occurring throughout the state. Rioters are slowing down the military and bringing in Evangelions could lead to even more casualties."

            "What! Why?"

            "The likely reason would be about the attack on Sacramento."

            "I know that you idiot! I mean why are they interfering with the military?"

            " Well, sir it appears as if they want Japan to invade."

******************************************************************************************

            After falling for what seemed like an eternity, the third child found himself submerged in the icy blue depths of the ocean. He was reminded briefly of his other underwater fighting experience, on the day he met Asuka. However at that time they were using outdated equipment. Now Unit 01 was fully equipped for submerged mobility. After several more moments Shinji finally felt ground under his feet again. It was sloping upward, towards the coast and Shinji began to run as quickly as he could. Though sound was muddled in the depths, it was still easy to hear the sounds of explosions and gunfire.  Then, after Shinji had ran for about five minutes, he could once again see where the ocean ended and the sky began. Soon the head of Unit 01 was out of the water and Shinji was immediately greeted by an opening of tank fire. He let out a scream of pain as he clutched his forehead in his hands. Then, he got a grip of himself and extended his AT field to prevent further shots. It was a futile effort however, for once Shinji again emerged from the water the tanks had been over run by people; in fact the entire bridge was swarming. They were destroying the missile turrets, and knocking over the transport jeeps.

            "They're…cheering?"

*******************************************************************************************

            "Shinji! Glad you could make it buddy!"

            "Damon? Where are Asuka and Rei?"

            "Rei's a little farther ahead," he said looking northward, "I didn't see Asuka land."

            "Shinji! Damon! Anybody! Hello? All Unit series respond!"

            It was Asuka's voice.

            "Asuka! Where are you?"

            "I'm downtown….um…by china town."

            "Gotcha," Damon said, "We are on our way!"

            "Hurry, I'm pinned down."

            "Pinned down?" Shinji thought.

            "Pinned down by what Asuka?"

            "About 20 Evangelions."

*******************************************************************************************

            "Commander Fuyutski!"

            "Yes. What is it?"

            "They've made it out of San Francisco bay and are now heading into the city."

            "Good. What about our air support?"

            "We have a little more than half left sir."

            "Alright. Order them to retreat, their job is done."

            "Yes sir."

            "What about the Wraith?"

            "It's alive sir. In fact it is heading toward the San Francisco area as we speak. Also it seems to have just about doubled its energy output."

            "What?"

            "We're not quite sure what happened sir. All we know is that its energy reading disappeared entirely for about 5 minutes, and then reappeared about twice as strong as before."

*******************************************************************************************

            "Rei! Watch out!"

            Asuka Langley Soryu shoved Rei Ayanami out of the way as several Gamma Evangelions opened fire with their rifles. Asuka crouched behind the nearest building as she attempted to reload her own rifle. She looked over at Rei and felt the slightest tinge of jealousy as the blue haired girl began to load shells into her weapon.

            "Why does she get a shotgun and I don't?" Asuka thought, somewhat disgusted with her assignment to a some what outdated weapon.

            "Ready?" Asuka shouted to Rei.

            "Ready!"

            Both pilots darted out of their cover and into the street, opening fire and their AT fields as they did so. Asuka swung the arc of her bullets horizontally to try and take down as many enemies as possible (they had foolishly bunched together). Rei simply moved her aim from one assailant to the next, her powerful gun easily felling the gamma series with one good shot to the chest.

******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari and Damon Robinson danced their twin blades from side to side; decapitating and maiming their swarming adversaries as they swept through the streets of the city. The third child watched as the grey and black mass produced models tried their best to pin him down. He closed in upon one that was firing at him. It tried to run, but found itself blocked by a building. When Shinji drew close it swung at his face with the butt of its rifle. Unit 01 ducked, and then rose again, allowing its blade to cleanly take the head off of its assailant. Shinji lingered briefly in the spray of LCL and then found himself moving again. Two more Gamma's were closing in on him, these ones were holding Lances. Shinji hesitated slightly as the memories of the Lance of Longinus came back to him. That was all it took. The first Gamma managed to put its Lance through Shinji's right shoulder. Shinji screamed as he swung back around to cut off both of its arms. In doing this however he had left himself exposed to the second Gamma. Shinji tried his best to move out of the way but the lance hit him in the side of the head, luckily, not with the sharp side. The third child felt himself hit the pavement; which only drove the first lance further into his arm. He let out another scream as he watched the Gamma approach him again. It lifted its lance over its head, but then found the inside of its chest upon a nearby building as Rei Ayanami let loose a blast from her shotgun.

****************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari stood from his position on the ground and pulled the lance from his arm. He glanced around him. The city had suffered relatively minimal damage thus far, and he noted that his threat indicator had gone silent. He glanced to the right side of his screen and checked its data.

            Shots received:187

            Shots penetrated:12

            Damage ratio: 19%

            Enemies incapacitated: 7

            Enemy casualties: 0

*********************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson ducked back behind the closest building as he again heard his threat indicator go off. He motioned with his hand for Rei, Asuka, and Shinji to do the same. He slowly leaned around the corner, and what he saw made his blood run cold. A massive black creature was swiftly approaching the city. It looked a lot like an Evangelion, however, it was easily twice as tall. The creature was entirely black, except for long silver claws on its hands and feat, as well as a single glowing red jewel set in the middle of its face. The creature itself seemed to have a swarm of what looked like small red creatures following it closely behind. It took the seventh child several more seconds before he realized what they actually were.

            "AT fields."


	21. Chapter 21: Emergence

            Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and related material is the property of Gainax.

Shinji Ikari watched as the creature at last brought itself before him. It was truly terrifying; horrible in its simplicity. The air was filled with the smell of LCL as the AT fields swam about the beast. The world was silent except for the horrible breathing of the Wraith. Moments passed, and soon Shinji could hear Asuka and Rei reloading their weapons. A small flash swam across his screen from the glint of Damon's blade against the sun. The creature swung its arms backward slightly, its menacing claws seeming to grow as it did so. Silence again, and then the air was pierced with a horrible scream. Three of the Evangelion pilots did not comprehend this sound for what it actually was, but Shinji Ikari knew. It was his scream; the shrill roar he had uttered upon the cross. The monster almost seemed to be smiling, though it had no mouth. And then the attack began. 

The swarm of AT fields lurched forward, dividing into separate masses and each targeting a different Eva. Immediately Shinji Ikari could see nothing but red. The lingering souls seemed to envelop him; to surround him completely. Shinji could feel their pain, their sorrow, and their remorse. 

"No."

Shinji extended his AT field with all of his might, blowing the swarming souls away from him. It was at this point he noticed that the other pilots were being attacked by the AT fields as well. Shinji concentrated harder and managed to extend his AT field large enough to keep the souls combating the other pilots at bay as well. Shinji could feel his pulse quicken and his blood flow.

"Hurry! Attack it!" Shinji screamed. The pain was becoming too much to 

bear.

*****************************************************************************************  

            Asuka Langley Soryu felt the red lifted from her gaze and the screams from her ears. She heard Shinji yell to attack, and she quickly brought her rifle up to firing position.

            "Asuka, Rei! Cover me!" Damon yelled over the comm..

            The second child began to fire.

*******************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson charged straight at the fifth Wraith sword at the ready. The creature had its arms extended before it as if it was controlling the AT fields with its fingertips. Damon swung forward and landed his sword directly into the creature's stomach. It screamed and pulled its hands to the wound. Almost immediately the souls that had been bearing down upon Shinji's AT field began to float away into the air.

*********************************************************************************************

Shinji gasped as he brought his AT field back upon Unit-01. He felt light headed, and soon he found that he had fallen to the ground. He raised his head as the Wraith howled in fury and swung its massive right claw outward, striking Damon across the chest and sending him flying. The whole in the beasts armor began to pour LCL, and upon noticing this it reached its arms up to the heavens trying to draw some of the retreating fields to its aid. The flying red objects immediately began to return, heading strait to the open wound. The souls seemed to be absorbed and almost instantaneously the gash had been healed. 

********************************************************************************************

            Rei Ayanami began to unload shells into the Wraiths massive body. The shells seemed to make the monster stumble slightly but besides that the bullets were having little effect. Then, with one last squeeze of the trigger, Rei felt the chamber empty She reached back for more ammo, however at the same time something caught her eye. The black moon. It had been out of sight when the battle had began, but now it seemed to be directly above them. Rei Ayanami pushed the observation out of her mind, instead trying to concentrate on reloading; again, however, something caught her eye. There was a man standing upon the ground beneath the Wraith. 

            "A man?"

            "What was that Rei?" Asuka asked.

            "There is a man on the ground next to the Wraith."

            "Where I-"

            Asuka was caught off as the creature pushed its claws through her torso.

*********************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson shook himself as consciousness returned to him. Immediately he heard the screams from unit-02 and began running again. 

*********************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari heard the two females exchange words and he was soon on his feet. Moments later the screams of the Second child pierced the comm. channel. Shinji turned to see the creature lifting unit-02 into the air, its claws impaled through the red armor. Rei was on its back, firing shells into its spine but it seemed to be having little effect. 

            "No!"

            Shinji rushed to the back of the creature with his sword drawn. Shinji swung back but before he could strike the blow he was hit by a massive wall of red. The screams of the tortured souls filled his mind again and again he reached out for his AT field. This time however it did not come. Shinji tried to see Asuka in his mind but found that he could not. He could only see horrible images from his memory. His mother's death filled his mind, followed by his father abandoning him, and then the third impact. Suddenly Shinji felt weightless, and then gravity returned to him as he felt himself strike the hard earth once again. All of a sudden Shinji could see the cloud of red departing, and in its place he could see a man standing before him on the rocky earth. 

            It was the man from the Russian base. The only man Shinji had left alive.

"You? How?"

********************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson leapt into the air, aiming his blade at the Wraith's right arm as he did so. The cut was clean, and he watched as Asuka fell back to the ground. The monster let loose yet another ear shattering howl, flinging Rei from its back and pointing its remaining arm at the seventh child. A red surge poured through its being and Damon watched as a swarm of AT fields barreled in his direction. However they never reached Unit-X. The souls immediately shot to the right, and as they left the Wraiths outstretched they headed straight toward Shinji. However they never reached the third child either. Damon didn't look long enough to verify this fact as he tried his best to pull the severed arm out of Unit-02.

*******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari watched in horror as a massive swarm of souls plummeted directly at him. He closed his eyes in anticipation of an attack that never came. Instead the fields surrounded the man standing in front of him. Shinji could still see the small figure despite the swarm. The dark haired man had his eyes closed, and his face was calm; he looked serene; peaceful. Suddenly his features tensed and Shinji watched as the man's veins bulged. 

            "Go."

            The third child could hear a voice in his mind; it was the man's voice, though his lips had not moved.

            "What?"

            "Hurry."

            "Who are you?" Shinji asked.

            "I am Cain."

            "Cain? What are you? What are you doing here?"

            "There is no time. If you wish to live you must attack now."

            "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

            "You spared my life once. Now I spare yours."

            Shinji watched as the man who called himself Cain began to bleed from his outstretched arms.

            "Go, Iesous. Now."

            Shinji leapt to his feet, feeling the earth rumble from the tremendous force of unit-01 doing so. He could see Damon struggling to pull the Wraith's severed arm from the body of unit-02, and to behind him the creature held Unit-05 by the throat. It was then that Shinji realized what Cain was doing. The Wraith was not healing itself. Cain was pulling all of the AT fields to his body.

**********************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson let loose a final yell as he ripped the silver claws from unit-02. He dropped Asuka to the ground and turned immediately back to the creature. It was facing away from him, its remaining arm stretched to the sky as it strangled Rei. Damon found his blade upon the ground and swung upward with all of the strength that remained in his being. The remaining arm of the Wraith fell to the ground.

********************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari reached the beast at last as Unit-X severed its remaining limb. That wasn't important to the third child; it hadn't been his target anyhow. Shinji felt the spray of LCL as his blade hit armor, skin, jugular, spine, skin again, armor again, and then, finally, air.

*********************************************************************************************

            Rei Ayanami stood silently as she watched the head of the beast fall to the earth. The Wraith dropped to its knees as a red jewel emerged upon its chest. Rei gripped her shotgun vertically, reloading it with a quick upward jerk. She placed the barrel upon the red orb.

            "Goodbye."

********************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu watched through pained eyes as the innards of the fifth Wraith exploded from around the back of its spinal column. She watched as Rei Ayanami reached a leg up to the kneeling corpse and kicked it to the ground. Then Asuka was engulfed by darkness.

********************************************************************************************

            Toji Suzahara stared it down. He simply stared at it. He was not frightened of it. He was angry at it. The fourth child read the label on the massive black arm.

            "03."

            They had rebuilt it. Apparently enough of the original had survived to make that possible. Toji wished they hadn't. He wished they would have built a new one instead.

*******************************************************************************************

            "Well here they are," Misato Katsuragi said, "The White one on the left is Unit-V, that one is yours Hikari. The Silver one on the right is Unit-I, it's Kensuke's.  

            Misato watched the expressions upon the new pilot's faces. Hikari's expression showed no change, though it already looked solemn. She almost laughed when she saw Kensuke Aida's features. He was grinning from ear to ear.

****************************************************************************************

            Kozo Fuyutski hung up the telephone and rubbed his eyes. He had just gotten off the phone with the governor of California. He was making sure that the Evangelions would be properly stored. He watched slowly as a fax came through his machine. Fuyutski sighed.

            "Damage assessments…"

Unit-00/Demolished: recovery ratio (14%)

Unit-01/Shinji Ikari: 73%

Unit-02/Asuka Langley Soryu: 57% 

Unit-03/Toji Suzahara: Unactivated

Unit-04/Unmanned: Missing (Dirac Sea)

Unit-05/Rei Ayanami: 74%

Unit-06/Unamnned: Unfinished (part shipments pending)

Unit-07/Nishka Zalomai: 100%

Unit-X/Damon Robinson: 79%

Unit-I/Kensuke Aida: Unactivated

Unit-V/Hikari Horaki: Unactivated

******************************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari could not sleep. All of the lights were off and there was not a sound in the entire room. The bed was extremely comfortable and the third child did not doubt that he was staying in one of the nicest hotels in the entire city. Shinji knew that jet lag probably was not helping either; San Francisco II was in quite a different time zone than Tokyo3. Shinji Ikari still however could not sleep. Even the knowledge that Asuka's condition was stable did not ease his thoughts. Shinji Ikari could not rid himself of the image of the man from the battle; the man who called himself Cain. The phone rang suddenly, prompting Shinji to stray from his thoughts and turn on the lights. This was an expected call.

            "Hello? Commander Fuyutski?"

            "Yes, Shinji. It's me."

            "Thank God. Please tell me what's going on."

            "Of course. First things first. Early yesterday morning a massive weapon was dropped upon Sacramento; a bomb. We don't know exactly what it was, only that it separated the AT fields from everyone in the city and the immediate surrounding area. The American president used this weapon to kill the fifth Wraith after refusing Japanese aid. However, something else happened in the aftermath. A sixth Wraith was formed from the remains of the fifth, as well as the souls of the residents of Sacramento."

            "The president attacked his own people?"

            "Yes. He was likely worried that once we came to help we would take over. Now however his situation is much worse. From what I am being told by the governor of California secession seems imminent. California and Nevada have already agreed to this end, and more are likely to follow. Tomorrow secession is to be officially declared and the Pacific States of America is to be formed."

            Shinji sighed.

            "I guess it really has begun, hasn't it?"

            "Yes. It seems it has."

            Shinji suddenly realized that  the commander had not yet talked about the man from the battle.

            "Commander, what about the man from the Russian base? Who is he?"

            Shinji could here the commander clear his throat.

            "The man you saw earlier today was private Kyle Murtagh. He is 21 years old and maintained an apartment residence in Sacramento. He was recently granted honorable discharge from the U.S. Marine core after being the sole survivor from his squad after our attack on the Siberian base. It is also noted in the report that Murtagh displayed signs of mental disturbance after the incident and is currently receiving a government pension."

            "I see. He didn't call himself Murtagh."

            "I know, you mentioned that earlier. He called himself Cain."

            "Yes," Shinji said, "That's right. What is that supposed to mean?"

            "Well Shinji, Cain was the first son of Adam. That is the best answer I can give you."

            "The first son of Adam?"

            "Yes. Cain is noted for being the creator of the first city, as well as committing the first murder."

            "Murder?"

            "Yes. He killed his brother Abel when God rejected his sacrifice. As punishment he was banished from Eden forever."

            "I see. Commander, I have another question. Cain, he called me Iesous. What does that mean?"

            There was a long pause after this question.

            "Shinji, Iesous is Greek. It's the root word for Jesus."

********************************************************************************************

            Kozo Fuyutski set the receiver of his telephone back into its cradle and stood from his chair. He turned, and gazed upon the elegant decorations of what had once been the office of Gendo Ikari. The tree of life stared back at the commander, etched around Sephirothic runes. Things were moving faster than the commander had expected, though the scrolls specified not specific times. The emergence of Cain was too real to disregard, for it was just as the scrolls had said. He had even referred to Shinji as Iesous. The God of the black moon had picked its champion. This man, Cain, would pilot the true Unit-01 when it returned from orbit, and wield the Lance of Longinus along with it. This man was said in the scrolls to have mastery over death, and had thus demonstrated himself through his ability to manipulate the AT fields of others, as opposed to Shinji who could manipulate his own. Fuyutski knew that souls were not returning to heaven as they once had. Because of the disturbance the halting of third impact had caused, souls were now floating to and from the black moon; they would be in limbo until the fate of the world was determined.

 The war would cause even more death, and with every man killed Cain would grow more powerful; to be able to draw more lingering AT fields to his side. This man was said to be an imbalance, a result of Shinji's actions. Where Shinji could have killed, he had instead spared, forsaking the path of the murderer. And as such, the spared man had become Cain, the first son of Adam; the first son of man; the first killer. 

            "And now the debt has been repaid," Fuyutski said quietly to himself. Cain had in turn spared Shinji's life by dropping the Wraith's defenses, allowing its defeat. Fuyutski knew this mercy would not be shown again, though interestingly enough, this man's true motivations were quite pure. 

"He wishes to save Shinji from the suffering of the world; he wishes to save all," Fuyutski thought. But Shinji would not allow this to happen. The commander knew that the third child had seen what instrumentality truly was, and would not allow it to occur again. There would be no truce, there would be no compromise, and there would be no turning back. The son of God, Iesous would duel the son of man, Cain, for the fate of the world.


	22. Chapter 22: The Ultimate Freedom

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other related material is the property of Gainax.

            _But I don't understand…_

_            Your understanding is not necessary. All you need to know is that the first died for all, and the second will die for you._

_                                    -Neon Testament: Exodus 3:17_

            Shinji Ikari opened his eyes to the darkness of his hotel room. He could hear Asuka's soft breathing next to him, and breathed a slight side of relief knowing she was beside him. 

            It had been three days since the Wraith had attacked, and Asuka had just been released from the San Francisco II central hospital. She was fine.

            "Thank God," Shinji thought.

            The third child found himself in a state of nervous anxiety. The official ceremony to create the Pacific States of America was tomorrow. It was to be held in Sacramento, Ground Zero. Shinji was supposed to deliver a speech. It was a great honor, to be sure but…but the thought of all of those people watching him; the thought of all those people looking up to him for strength…

            Shinji sighed.

**********************************************************************************************

            Rei Ayanami watched Damon Robinson solemnly. He thought she was sleeping, but in fact she was quite awake. The seventh child sat in a chair overlooking the balcony and the rest of the city. He had not changed out of the clothes he had worn that day, and held his face in his hands. Damon hadn't spoken much since the Wraith had been defeated, and as far as Rei could tell, he hadn't slept at all either. "I should talk to him," Rei thought to herself, "but…"

            In truth Rei still found it difficult to talk about emotions, even now that she was married. For some reason she feared what she had once been; she feared that perhaps she would hurt him if she said the wrong thing on accident. Rei sighed.

            "Damon?"

            There was silence for a long time after Rei spoke.

            "Yes."

            "Is something wrong?"

            Another long silence followed.

            "Rei, everyone in Sacramento is dead. Every single person was killed by that weapon."

            "Yes," Rei said cautiously, "I know."

            "My dad, Rei, my father; my only living relative, lived in Sacramento." 

**********************************************************************************************

            Cain awoke slowly as the slight rain finally got wet enough to peak his attention.  It was still late, or perhaps, very early.  It did not matter much.  He stood and stretched, surveying the surrounding city as he did so.  There was so much to be done, and none of it could be accomplished here in this place. 

            "Nevada."

            Yes that was where he was headed. The dessert. He could feel it, it was still there. It would undoubtedly become a useful tool, at least until a more powerful weapon could be retrieved from space. But that would have to wait.  It would not return until the black moon faltered.  And then…

            "The battle."

            That was when he would face Ikari; then and only then.  And until that day came he felt very much inclined to insure the survival of the boy.

            "He must live to see the end or else all is lost."

            This was what made Cain nervous about leaving town. 

"Who knows what could happen? But on the other hand, Ikari is a big boy, he can take care of himself," He thought. And then after business in Nevada…well then it would be off to Washington; off to see father.

            And then he felt it.  Cain had known this rooftop in particular to be a wise choice.  One of the three slept in this place.  Kowaru Nagisa slept here.  The white floated down swiftly; elegantly.

            "Hello," Cain said.

            The man in white was visibly startled, no doubt expecting little to no resistance, or, at least, no company.

            "Who are Y" The Wraith stopped itself mid-sentence before slowly continuing.

            "I have felt you. You hold much power. It was you correct? The one who dropped my brother's defences?"

            Cain smiled, giving a nod as he did so.

            "Indeed it was."

            The Wraith seemed to show no visible anger at this acknowledgement.  In fact the white man felt no rage, he sensed opportunity. This man was unknown to him and his brothers; his arrival had not been prophesized.

            "Are you our champion?"

            Cain smiled again.

            "Ah yes, you wish to bring about instrumentality do you not?  And in order to do that, you must kill the three. Ikari, Nagisa, Kaji. The man, the angel, and the boy who is neither and both."

            "Yes," The Wraith agreed, "Perfection returned."

            "I'm sorry," Cain said, "But I cannot agree with you. Ikari is right you know. Perfection is impossible. It is fake, false. Unattainable, and flawed."

            Cain watched the expression of the white man's face change as he began to continue.

            "However Ikari is only half right, you see. Perfection is false, but so is life. Reality itself is fundamentally pointless and wrong. He will see that before the end, and it is my job to make sure he does. And until that time, it is my job to protect those interests."

            The Wraith drew a blade as Cain continued.

            "You see the real answer is not perfection, it is not life, but death.  Only when death comes to all will there be peace. Death is the only true freedom there ever was."

            The Wraith suddenly swung left, letting its sword fly at Cain's neck; the man in white slashing at the man in black.  But the effort was futile.  Cain stepped to the right, letting the force of the swing carry the attacker off balance.  By the time the Wraith found the ability to turn around again it was too late. He felt a horrible burning sensation as a several floating AT fields found their way down his throat.  And then he felt his body being lifted from the ground by hundreds more, shoved up into a nearby brick wall, and then the fields holding him were gone as fast as they had come, and he hit the ground.

            "I can't say I'm sorry about this, but it was a pleasure meeting you," Cain said as he made a backward pulling motion with his arm.  The Wraith watched in horror as the AT fields he had swallowed were ripped by invisible forces through the front of his stomach and chest cavity, spewing his ghostly white intestines upon the rooftops.

**********************************************************************************************

            "Kensuke…I wish you weren't so enthusiastic about all of this, I mean you could die."

            "Such would be the honor of a soldiers life my dear," Kensuke Aida said as he finished his perusal of the refrigerator.

            "I'm sorry if you don't get it Nishka, but this is something I have wanted for my entire life, and now its mine."

            The Russian girl sighed.

            "Kensuke, your green. I don't think you're going to be this happy after your first real battle."

            The Japanese boy shrugged at this, and then decided to change the subject.

            "Did you call Asuka and Shinji yet?"

            "No. It's tough with the time difference. It's still pretty late over there."

            "Oh, yah that's right. Hey, are Toji and Hikari up yet?" Kensuke asked.

            "No, I don't think so.  All the activation testing had them pretty wiped out. Toji is scared as hell of unit-3, I can see it in his eyes, and who can blame him? And Hikari just seems to lack your energy."

            "Yah, that and my overpowering sex appeal."

**********************************************************************************************

            "Hikari? Are you awake?"

            "…Yes."

            Silence passed for several moments before the fourth child spoke again.

            "How are you feeling?"

            "Alright I suppose. Exhausted, but alright."

            "Well you can go back to bed if you want to. We get the day off today."

            "Yah, I know."

            Toji Suzahara frowned. He hated this sort of idle banter. None of it meant anything. In truth he still felt somewhat awkward around the brown haired girl. It was hard for him to open up; hard for him to show how much he cared. It made him somewhat jealous of Shinji. He made it seem so easy. And Kensuke too, always so easygoing and collected. Since the moment he had known Hikari she had been showing him what to do, what steps to take, what was right and what was wrong. And now that they were together it was his turn to take some initiative. He had to decide what was right and what was wrong in the relationship if he ever hoped to really become an adult. And he couldn't screw up anymore. If she was ever going to respect him he knew he had to start doing things right.

            "Hikari…yesterday…I was really scared."

            "Because of getting back into Unit-03?" Hikari asked.

            "Yes."  

            "I can only imagine what that must have been like for you. I'm sorry you had to that again."

            "No, it's alright. Because this time it was different. I had you there with me this time."

            Hikari rolled on the bed so that she could see his face, smiling slightly as she did so.

            "Th-thank you Toji."

            Toji could feel his mind fighting with itself. "Come on Toji," he thought, "Just say it."

            "Hikari…I…I Love you." 

**********************************************************************************************

            Rei Ayanami did her best to comfort her husband as they sat together on the end of the hotel bed. She could hear him sobbing slightly, and in turn she noticed that she too felt sad. Rei immediately decided she did not like this feeling, and in turn she did not like it when others experienced this feeling.

            "I…Rei…My father, I wanted you to meet him before we were married, or at least before we have a real ceremony. I wanted his blessing. It was important to him…it was important to me. That's how he would have wanted it. We…we could have had the ceremony at his church."

            Rei pulled him close to her, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

            "I am so sorry Damon. I never had a real father, or a mother either, but I can imagine how painful a loss like that must be."

            "Mother. Dad never quite got over her death. It was so sudden. I don't even know what happened really. It was the government…they…they told us that she was very sick. I never really believed them. But I have no other explanation. And now…now I have no one left, no one left but you, Rei."

            "Damon, you are the only one I have ever had. You are my husband, and I love you."

            Damon could feel her words; he could feel them in the emptiness left by the loss of his family.

            "Oh God…Rei."

            Damon turned around and embraced the blue haired girl fully, tears running down his cheeks as he did so.

            "Rei…thank you so much. I thank God every day that I have you. I…I would be lost without you."

**********************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu awoke in warmth and comfort. The German girl turned to her right to look at the clock radio. 

            "Hmm…7:13."

            With this done, Asuka rolled to her left until her cheek pressed up against that of Shinji Ikari.

            "Shhhinnnnnjiiiii…Time to wake uuuuupppppp."

            "Mmph."

            "Shhinnnnjjiiiiii…"

            "Grglmmph."

            Asuka moved her left hand up to his back, slowly tracing her nails down the spine of the third child until the desired affect was achieved: Laughter.

            "Asuka…" Shinji said with a yawn, "I was sleeping."

            "Yah, baka, I know that."

            Suddenly Shinji rolled over, startling the red head, and landing himself above her, his face mere inches from her own.

            "Good morning, Asuka," he said, kissing her softly as he did so. 

            Asuka could feel his lips, as well as the tight grip in which he held her down. Years ago when they were still children she could have easily escaped his grasp, but now…he was quite a bit stronger now. She slowly opened her eyes as the kiss came to an end.

            "Well, Shinji, you sure seem to be on top of things."

            The third child laughed at this, and then rolled back off of Asuka, in fact he rolled off of the bed entirely, resulting in a great length of laughter from the German girl.

            "Well then," Shinji began, "I have a big day today and think it is time for me to take a shower."

            Shinji stood from where he had fallen on the floor and headed in the direction of the bathroom. Asuka stood as well, only now recovering from her giggle tirade.

            "Not without me your not."

            Shinji shrugged as Asuka began to remove her clothes.

            "Asuka I don't think…Ya know what? You're so much harder to argue with when you're naked."

            Asuka smiled.

            "Yah, I know."

**********************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson emerged from the hotel restaurant with his stomach full and his spirits, at least for the moment, somewhat lightened. Though he knew that it was not the food that he had to thank for this.  The seventh child glanced at his watch. 

            "It's almost time to go, Rei."

            Rei Ayanami nodded, and they made their way towards the lobby exit. Moments later they encountered Shinji and Asuka.

            "Shinji!"

            "Damon! Hey, how's it going?"

            "Alright I guess," Damon said. He didn't feel like bringing up his father at a time like this.

            "Damon, I have a favor to ask of you."

            "Yah?"

            "Yah. My speech today, I would be honored to have you translate it. I think that would be better than people having to read it off of the screen."

            "Oh," Damon said as he glanced backwards at Rei hoping for an expression to be shown. He should have known better though he knew, Rei rarely had an expression on her face.

            "Yah, sure I'll do it."

**********************************************************************************************

            Damon Robinson watched the buildings slide quickly past as the limousine entered the city limits of the now deserted Sacramento area. It was frightening; scary in how fragile life really was, how precious it really was. His mother had been taken from him so easily, his father as well.

            "Rei…" he said quietly to himself, "how do I know you won't be taken from me as well?"

            This thought stayed with the seventh child for the rest of car trip until they arrived at the ceremony grounds. It was quite stunning really. He found himself amazed that they had been able to erect it in only three days, but so it was. He watched where Shinji was going and followed him to his seat.

**********************************************************************************************

            The ceremony proceeded uneventfully, and rather lengthily as well. To Shinji Ikari, however, it seemed to go all too fast, and now it was his turn to speak. He stood up slowly, motioning with his hand for Damon to follow him as he did so. Moments later Shinji stood at the podium, stood facing the massive crowd of easily ten thousand people, as well as the rest of the world via satellite. Shinji took a deep breath, and then began, the words of the seventh child following slightly behind his own.

            "What happened here three days ago was truly a horrible thing. It was something that could easily have been avoided as well. However, peace is usually the harder thing to see; the field beyond the flame. But that is why this country, here, today, is being founded. This war, this death…this does not have to be the way it is for the rest of time. If war can be avoided, then that is best, however war is upon us, and there is nothing we can do to change that now. What we can do is fight this war. We can fight this war not for conquest or gain, not for false perfection, but for peace. Once in this country long ago another war was fought. It was called the War to end War, and it was such. Where it fell short from its task was not during the fighting, but during the aftermath. Greed and squabbling drowned peace, instead only creating more anger and restlessness among the defeated. This would serve to be the worlds great folly as another great war soon erupted. And now a third great war has come to claim the world. Perhaps some of you have lost faith in humanity, believing that we are weak; believing that we are doomed. But you cannot give up hope. Running is never the answer. You must have faith. Many of you hold faith in God, some of you hold faith in me, and for those of you who don't, I hope that you can perhaps find hope in each other. There is light at the end of the dark passage to which we now face, and we must never lose sight of what lies on the other side. Thankyou."

            Shaking slightly, Shinji Ikari stepped down from the speech podium amidst thunderous applause.

**********************************************************************************************

            Cain suddenly turned around to face the opposite direction, his mind racing.

            "They're coming."

            The man dressed in black began to shove his way through the crowd, desperately trying to reach the stage.

            "Those fools. Killing the girl will solve nothing. Ikari is unstable enough as it is, but without the girl there is not telling what he might do. That girl isn't his weakness, she's the only thing keeping that boy sane."

**********************************************************************************************

            Shinji noticed what was happening slightly before Damon did. The white. They were descending from the buildings. Asuka. They were heading towards Asuka.

            "Asuka look out!"

            Shinji Ikari realized that he had never been so frightened in his entire life as he broke out into a sprint towards the second child. He watched terrified as the man with long white hair swung his sword backwards preparing for a forward thrust. 

            "No," was all Shinji managed to say before the blade found its way through his lower abdomen. The pain was surreal; the events taking place around the third child felt to him as if they were in slow motion; black and white like an old movie. He could see Asuka in front of him. She was screaming, but he could not make out her words. He could see a man dressed all in black with a sword drawn; he was trying his best to keep the six white Wraiths at bay. Everything seemed very far away. Everything was cold. It felt like a stranger's icy grip was clawing at his chest.

**********************************************************************************************

            Cain swung left, and then dodged right. He had not counted on six attackers and things were proving difficult. He managed to shove the nearest Wraith away and looked over his soldier to the red haired girl.

            "Run!"

            It was at this moment that he noticed Ikari. He had been stabbed; the blade had gone completely through him and even now still rested inside of his body.

            "This isn't supposed to happen yet," he told himself. But he knew that it would have to do. There was no way around it now. 

            Cain dropped his sword and focused, pulling the souls of the dead to his side. He pushed outward, throwing his ivory attackers away, shaping the glowing souls to the proper shape; the shape of the cross. With one last final push the man in black sent the cross of souls to the fallen third child, and moments later the boy was bound to it. Cain watched as the stigmata began to appear; he watched as the cross began to float upward towards the sky. The people around him were screaming and pointing hysterically, and Cain found that he did not blame them. However it was not yet their time to die either. He knew that he had failed, but perhaps all was not lost.

            "I am sorry Iesous. It was not supposed to be this way."


	23. Chapter 23: Ascension

            Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other related materials is the property of Gainax.

Nothing. Nothing at all. Bliss, perhaps? Yes. Surely that was it. It was like floating; moving swiftly upward. There was no attachment, nothing holding him back. He was free, perfectly, absolutely free. It was the kind of feeling that people wished they could feel their entire lives, never knowing that it would always be beyond them, just over the next hill, just passed the next cloud, somewhere over the rainbow. But he had it, yes he did, and it was wonderful. Perhaps he could see, perhaps not. Visions? Maybe. It was different than that. Unlike other things. Things? What were they? He was not even sure anymore…it all seemed far away to him, as if it had taken place millions of years in the past. He wondered if he held an expression, or, did it matter? What is matter? Thoughts…hmm. It was beautiful, places and realities never seen by others.  This place was wonderful, yes, it is.

**********************************************************************************************

            Rei Ayanami sat with her husband on a park bench overlooking the bay. It was a gray night, dismal and bleak. Neither person spoke. Rei found herself grappling with the events of the prior day. It had all happened so fast, too fast for her to react. The speech ended and he started to walk away, and then…the Wraiths. They had attacked, six of them at once. They had aimed for Asuka, but Shinji had taken the blow. He had died valiantly; died as the hero all knew he was, except for perhaps himself. She had watched the blade in silent horror as it entered his chest and passed all the way through his body cavity to emerge from the other side.  And then there had been the man in black. He had protected Asuka from the continuous onslaught of the Wraiths.  And then, he had turned and saw that Shinji had been struck down. What had occurred next had been truly bizarre. He had extended his arms, somehow pulling disembodied AT fields to his side. He had moved his hands, shaping the fields into a massive cross; it was black, red, and horrible. The man had sent it to Shinji's failing body; it had enveloped him; harnessed him and held him. Then, it had simply floated away, disappearing into the atmosphere.

**********************************************************************************************

            When Nishka Zalomai finally located the man that she was looking for she could see that he had been crying. He sat next to a tree, a shady spot on the outskirts of the city. She walked up next to him and sat.

            "Kensuke?"

            She watched as the man beside her struggled to hide his tears.

            "I…I don't cry like this normally…"

            "It's alright Kensuke, its nothing to be ashamed of, its normal."

            Kensuke Aida nodded, attempting a laugh, but instead choking on his tears.

            "Nishka…Shinji dying…it just doesn't seem real."

            "Yah."

            "I…I never told him this, but I always kind of looked up to him, y'know?"

            Nishka didn't respond, instead letting her boyfriend get his feelings out.

            "I always kind of saw him as invincible, like he could survive anything; nothing was ever too big for him. I…I never…I never got to tell him that."

**********************************************************************************************

            Toji Suzahara could feel the pain come. He watched as his knuckles cracked and began to split and bleed.  He yelled out as he threw his punches; yelled out in pain and rage, biting back the tears as best he could. He paused momentarily, observing the red stain on the wall outside of the school building. He had not been to this place in a long time, yet to him it felt like only yesterday he had attended school here. This was the spot, the exact spot that he had first spoken to Shinji Ikari. He had hit him; he had hurt him for something that was beyond his control. He wished he could go back to those days again.

**********************************************************************************************

            Hikari Horaki sat on her bed with her face buried in her arms.  She did not know how long she had been crying for; she didn't care how long she had been crying for. Shinji was dead, and Toji was gone. The pain she felt for her lost friend she found nearly equal to the fact that the man she loved had run from her. Instead of being with her, instead of staying by her side, he had run. Hikari Horaki sat and cried, irreconcilable, alone, and brokenhearted.

**********************************************************************************************

            Ryoji Kaji held the sobbing frame of Misato Katsuragi firmly in his arms. He braced himself, sensing the coming of the occasional spasms of rage that rippled through his purpled haired fiancée. When this did occur, he held on still tighter. He would not let her go. He would stay with her all night if he had too, and for all intents and purposes he intended to do just that, to make sure that she would be alright.

**********************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu could feel it all inside. Of all the horrible things that had happened to her, this, she felt, was easily the worst. The wind was growing stronger, she could feel it blowing upwards onto her face. It was a long way down, the hotel room was on the top floor. She looked downward, watching the cars driving by far below. Asuka closed her eyes and extended her arms from her sides. He was dead, and there was nothing to fill the emptiness left within her. Nothing, and there never would be anything either.

            "Shinji."  
            She would see him soon. Then everything would be alright again, like how things had been before. She could just leave it all behind, leave everything. She smiled, feeling the wind blowing on her face. This was it.

            "Goodbye," Asuka said.

            "Please," a voice answered, "Please don't do that."

            Asuka slowly opened her eyes again, looking upwards toward the roof. She watched as a hand slowly extended itself down to her, she grabbed it without a moment's hesitation and soon found herself on the roof of the building. She followed the man that had pulled her up to a small patch of soft material on the roof and sat. He was an attractive man, dressed from head to toe in black. His hair was black, and his eyes at first seemed black as well, though on further observation she could tell that they were a very dark blue.

            "I'm sorry," he said, "It was not my place to interfere."

            Asuka said nothing for a time, and then she responded with a question.

            "You're the man from the ceremony aren't you? The man who protected me?"

            He nodded.

            "Yes, that was me. I…I am sorry about Ikari's death."

            Asuka stared at the ground.

            "Oh. He is dead then?"

            The man nodded.

            "I…I had hoped that you had somehow protected him," Asuka said.

"What was it…what was it that you did to him?" the second child asked.

            "I bound him to the souls of the dead. It will keep his spirit from entering the black moon."

            "What of heaven?"

            "If such a place exists then it is being blocked by the black moon. Ikari's soul has been freed. He is no longer bound by existence at all, not heaven, nor hell, nor perfection, nor God. He is beyond everything. This…this is a gift that I had hoped to give to all, but it was not Ikari's time. That is why I saved him from the black moon. The Wraiths would like to return humanity to the world of the third impact, and to do this they would need to return the souls of the three to the egg."

            "That is why they attack us?"

            "Yes."

            "Then why…?"

            "Did they attack you?"

            Asuka nodded.

            "The Wraiths thought Ikari too powerful a man for them to kill easily. They had hoped that your death could break him."

            "So why did you save me?"

            "The Wraiths are fools. If you had been killed there is no telling what Ikari might have done. They do not understand the potential power that he possesses. I feared that if your death were to occur that something…unsettling might occur."

            Asuka nodded, and silence followed for several minutes before she chose to speak again.

            "Who are you?"

            It was now the man's turn to reflect. After a few moments he spoke as well.

            "My name is C-," he seemed to cut himself off, "My name is Kyle Murtagh."

            "How do you know all of these things about Shinji? And how do you…"

            "Control the AT fields?"

            Asuka nodded.

            "About five years ago was when I first started to feel it, it came in the form of nightmares. I could see Shinji doing things, horrible things; murder. Recently I was stationed at an American facility in Russia. It was in that place that my nightmares played out in reality. But, when Shinji came to me, he faltered. He spared my life. It was at that moment that he forsook the last of what he had once been, and my transformation began. I am a reflection of Ikari in this place, this reality created by the halting of the third impact.  All of the things that Shinji felt during the third impact, all of his pain and rage is now mine, as well as his want to let all die, to separate himself from everybody, to kill you. I possess these feelings. This is why Ikari ended the third impact, because he wanted to be alone, he hated the idea of all being one, and now that feeling is mine. When he awoke he had changed however, something changed him, though I do not know what exactly. He was granted control of his AT field, the essence of life. I developed the opposite ability; the ability to control the fields walking the path of the dead, they are mine to command."

            "I would welcome death now," Asuka said, "But if you did inherit Shinji's feelings then why don't you want to kill me now?"

            "Because I am not yet Cain entirely. A glimmer of the man named Kyle Murtagh, the man you are speaking to now, still remains. However, soon I will be overtaken completely."

            "And you wish to kill everyone?"

            "To give them peace, yes. I had wanted to show Ikari what he had wanted, what his true answer was, and with his death, by my hands, I would have been able to give peace to all. Now, however, Shinji's spirit is bound to me. For his soul to return to the black egg the Wraiths will have to kill me as well."

            "But that is not what you want, how then will you bring peace to the world now?"

            "Oh, there are other ways. I had hoped to enlist father's help."

            "Father?"

            Asuka watched as the man in black waived this question away with his hand as he began to stand.

            "Wait," Asuka said, "One more question, why did you stop me from jumping?"

            "Ikari, he died to save you, I…I couldn't watch you throw that sacrifice away."

            "Is…Is that really why?"

            The man watched as Asuka approached him.

            "I am sorry that the man you once were is dying, Kyle…"Asuka said as she reached her hands around his neck. Asuka slowly leaned forward, placing her lips upon those of the man in black, letting her unfinished sentences linger in the air. The man in black felt the kiss come softly, passionately. It was unlike anything that he had ever felt before. It was…pure, unlike anything the Shinji before third impact had ever felt. After several more moments Asuka slowly broke the embrace.

            "…But if you do have the part of Shinji that was left behind in you, I just want him to know that I always loved him; that I loved him even then, even before we met, that I will love him always, even the part left behind."

**********************************************************************************************

            Here it was, now. Or…Was it always here?

            _"It was not always here, you have simply arrived."_

"Mother?"

            _"Yes."_

            "Mother, is this heaven?"

            _"No, my son.__ This place is neither heaven nor hell. It is merely…existence. The fact that we are surviving in this empty place is a testament to man kinds will to survive."_

Unit-01, the true unit-01, truly was a horrible thing to see. It was not that it was visually frightening so much, though he was sure that it was that as well, but the horrible loneliness made him fear. The fact that he knew that his mother had been trapped in a place like this for so long was what frightened him the most.

"Am I dead?"

_"I suppose that is the best way to describe it, but no you are not. Someone who cares about your life a great deal must have sealed your soul here to prevent you from truly dying."_

"Is this what it is like to be an Eva?"

_"Yes. We are now both experiencing the same process. Your father as well."_

"Father?"

_"Yes. Though, he is in somewhat of a different form."_

"Is there any way to return?"

_"No. Your father had hoped that he could bring me back, but his window of opportunity has passed now. Not even the completion of the third impact will bring us together at this point. But as for you…"_

"Yes?"

_"…you are still bound to the will of a living creature. If you are released from that hold, there may still be a chance that might return to heaven."_

"Heaven no longer exists. There is only the black moon now, instrumentality."

_"Well to each his own."_

"Earth is the only heaven now, right mother? That's what you wanted to tell me isn't it?"

_"Yes."_

"This place…it is wonderful."

_"Because there is no one here?"___

"Perhaps."

_"Is that true freedom?"_

"I don't know…yes, or, is it?"

_"Is that what you desire?"_

Thoughts, rushing, pounding. Or…no. Are there thoughts in this place? "My desire…"

"Asuka…"


	24. Chapter 24: Ressurection

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated material is the property of Gainax.

            Kozo Fuyutski stood silently upon the bridge of NERV command, staring at the colossal screen in front of him.

            "Germany is on the move…"

            The commander frowned.

            "Aoba can we get a confirmation on the make of those Gamma troops in Germany?"

            "They are American sir."

            "Damn it. So it's true then. What is the current situation in California?"

            "They are secure. It is unlikely that an attack will come, and if it does I think that the Pacific States can hold."

            "Is that your opinion or did the governor send that information?"

            "The governor."

            "Good. Are the Russians ready to mobilize yet?"

            "We aren't sure, but if they are the Australians are ready to move on them."

            Fuyutski's mind, for the tenth time today, began to add up the factors of war. That leaves us, Britain, the Pacific States, and Australia, against The Atlantic states, Russia, Germany, and more than likely China as well, with France hanging delicately in the balance. And it didn't help that Shinji was gone either. But if California was secure for the time being that at least meant that he could bring the Unit-series home, if only for a little while.

**********************************************************************************************

            "Y'know what? Them not talking to each other is really, really, starting to get on my nerves."

            The blonde Russian girl turned to her spectacled boy friend and laughed.

            "It is kind of awkward isn't it?"

            "Yes," Kensuke said, "It certainly is. If I have to go through another dinner where nobody talks to each other, and where everyone asks me to pass everything around the table so that they don't have to talk to the other person…I can't be held responsible for what I might do."

            "I wouldn't worry, they always make up when Toji does something dumb."

            "I don't know, and I'm not so sure this one was entirely Toji's fault. You should give him some more credit."

            "Perhaps, but the score card in their fights is squarely on her side."

            "True. All I know is that I cant take much more. And do you have to spend the night with her all the time?"

            With a smile, Nishka Zalomai flashed a surprised look at Kensuke Aida.

            "Kensuke, are you really that worried about Toji and Hikari, or are you just pent up?"

            Kensuke coughed.

**********************************************************************************************

            "Asuka?"

            Damon Robinson continued to knock on the German girl's hotel room door.

            "Asuka are you there?"

            Finally he could hear a reaction on the other side of the door and soon after it was opened to reveal a sad looking red head.

            "You okay?"

            "Yah."

            "Fuyutski just gave the order to withdraw," he said, giving the best smile he could, "so that means were going back to Japan."

            Asuka nodded, and then slowly closed the door again. Damon sighed once she was out of sight again. He had hoped that the news would cheer her up a bit. He turned from her door and began the short trip back towards his own. It had been almost three weeks since Shinji's passing and he had still yet to see her smile. She rarely left her room, and even when she did it wasn't for long, and only out of necessity. He could hardly blame her though; he knew how much she and Shinji had loved each other. From the moment he had first met Shinji Ikari all those years ago he had known. "It's things like this that made people want the third impact in the first place," he thought. Personally Damon was glad to be leaving California, even if it was his native land. There were just too many bad memories here, and he missed Kensuke and Toji a great deal, Nishka and Hikari too. 

            Damon reached his room and quickly opened the door, inserting his room key and waiting for the little green light to flash. 

            "Hello Rei."

            "Hello Damon."

            "You packed? Ready to go?"

            She nodded, indicating to the pile of suitcases on the floor.

**********************************************************************************************

            Cain could feel it. Yes, it was definitely here. He could feel the desert sand pulsating with its power. It was now only a matter of entering the Dirac Sea, and then it would be his. 

**********************************************************************************************

            "Shut up Kensuke."

            "Damn it Toji! You are such an ass! Why don't you just go and talk to her?"

            "Because I…I…I don't know, I don't even know why she is so mad."

            That was a lie and Toji Suzahara knew it. She had been angry with him ever since that news that Shinji was dead had arrived. He had been unable to deal with what was going on, and had run away instead of staying with Hikari. She was very sad and disappointed with him when he returned, but that was not why she was still as angry as she was. No, when he had returned they had gotten into a fight. Hikari had been right to a certain extent about him not being able to deal with his feelings, but he had felt that she was only seeing things from her own perspective. That was when the problem came. He had lashed back out at her when she had tried him about how disappointed with his actions she was, and that led him to where he was now.

            "Come on Toji, everyone can tell that you guys hate being apart from each other, so just go apologize."

            "Will you lay off? The only reason you care so much is because Nishka has been spending the night with her instead of sleeping with you."

            "Yah and? Is there something wrong with that? Why should your problems cut in on my action?"

            Toji groaned.

**********************************************************************************************

            "Kaji?"

            "Yes."

            "The kids are coming home; Fuyutski gave the recall order this morning," Misato Katsuragi said quietly.

            Kaji smiled.

            "That's great; it feels like I haven't seen them in such a long time, especially after shin…"

            He faded out, realizing that he shouldn't have brought it up, but it had just slipped out. Things really did feel different now. To him personally it felt as if he had lost his only son, or perhaps a father. Shinji had always been there for him ever since he had returned, and, because he had no recollection of his past before that date, saw Shinji as a highly influential figure in his life, Asuka as well. He wondered if she would ever be the same again. He doubted it, knowing that she was just "too damn in love." There relationship had always seemed like a fairy tale to him, this big romantic epic, the kind of story that was made into a movie. Sometimes though, he knew that even the greatest epics sometimes ended in tragedy.

**********************************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu followed her Damon and Rei to the ticket desk, and then slowly boarded the 777 bound for Tokyo-3. Asuka found her seat on the aisle quickly without paying attention to the man who sat beside her. She immediately opened the small backpack that she carried with her to produce a CD player. Next she opened a small case, rummaging through various CD's as she did so. At last she found what she wanted and placed it in the player.

            "Beethoven's ninth symphony?" The man next to her said, "That was always my favorite."

            Asuka turned to the pale young man next to her, his appearance somewhat startling. His hair was gray, and his eyes were an un-earthly crimson, just like Rei's.

            "Um, yes. I like it too…I listen to Ode to Joy at the end mostly when I am sad. It…it brings back some memories from a long time ago."

            The man nodded.

            "For me as well, but, why are you sad?"

            Asuka turned away. She still found the topic nearly impossible to speak of, but somehow she felt as if she knew this man.

            "S-…Someone very close to me passed away recently."

            "I see. Losing a loved one is never easy. But I like to believe that they are always with us, watching over us forever."

            Asuka nodded, casting her gaze toward the floor.

            "I to," The man continued, "I to was once separated from someone I loved by death."

            "I see."

            "Yes…But that doesn't always mean that's the end. You can feel them from time to time, living on in the wind rustling in the trees and the reflections upon the water. Can you not feel him still?"

            Asuka turned to the man again.

            "How did you know it was a man?"

            Silence passed between the two speakers, along with a concerned look from one party, and a smile from the other.

**********************************************************************************************

            He had drifted on, past the image of Unit-01. He was now even further beyond, gazing upon verdant hills, and blue skies. It was more beautiful than even the last place he had been. A man came and sat next to him, or perhaps just a vision of something like a man, a representation, a collection of thoughts and scattered images.

            The Vision spoke:

            _Why do you hold on to the emptiness?_

"It is not emptiness; I am empty because it is gone, not due to it."

            _You do not like it here? _

"It is wonderful…but I wish I could return to those I left behind."

            _To her?___

"Yes."

            _Then why do you feel such remorse? It was not necessary for this to happen, you could have activated your AT field._

"I tried."

            _Did you really?_

Why do you question my answer? I could not activate it…It was almost as if something was holding me back, some piece of me wishing for death.

            _Did you wish to die for her?_

"Perhaps. Was this meant to be? Was I supposed to come here?

            _It was your time to die. God works in mysterious ways._

"I…I wish to return to life. I want to see her again."

            _Death cannot be reversed._

"Really? It has happened before. It happened to him; to the first.

            _He was proof of God's love; of his faith. He died for all, and was bound to that sacrifice to return._

"I died for her; I died fighting in God's name; I am still bound to a living man."

            _You are not the same. Your time has ended. It is best to accept it._

"I fought for the first God, and the other, Cain, he fought for a man made God correct?"

            _Yes_

"Then why does he fight the Wraiths?"

            _………………_

"If he fights for the God of instrumentality, then why does he kill his own soldiers? He is my counterpart, correct?"

            _………………_

"Why do you not respond? What are you hiding from me?"

He could feel himself becoming agitated, angry even, if there were such an emotion in this place. Who was this vision he was talking to? "If I am the only one hear, is he just a part of myself?" he thought.

 "Why do you deny my wish to return? If it has been before, why can it not be again? Don't you wish to save the world? To save the people?"

            _You do not understand…_

"No! What aren't you telling me? Why does Cain kill? Why does he control death? Why does his agenda differ from instrumentality? Why! What is he! Tell me!

            _………………_

"Why won't you answer? Why does…"

            And then the boy finally understood. At long last it was clear to him; the meaning of everything; the reason that things were happening. It was all so simple. He had had control of the world during the third impact, his every wish could have been fulfilled, his every whim, though it was not real. But the third impact was never completed, it had not yet ended. As much as he believed the life he lived to be real, it was still a product of the third impact, still just another measure of a false existence. And that meant…

            "He is me! Cain is me! He wishes for the things that I wanted during Instrumentality. I am not fighting for God, I am God! He is not fighting for a God born of man, like the Wraiths, no, he is God as well. This world…it is mine. This world born of instrumentality is my own. I created it. He created it. He is my other half; my forgotten half. I am not fighting God, I am fighting myself. When I ended third impact I wished for the world as it once was, but that was not the world I received, I can see that now. This is a world torn in two; a world torn between the man I once was and the man that I have become! 

            _……………… _

Shinji could feel the Vision around him melt away; the misconceptions of his mind gone. The wonderful visions were disappearing; reality took the existence that held him. His purpose was clear now, his objective laid out before him like never before. He knew that he was not bound by the attachments of others, this was his world, and he would have to destroy it. Only then could instrumentality be stopped, and only then could things be returned to what they once were.

            "Cain. You can no longer hold me. I see the truth now. I must destroy what I once was. I will end this world; I will return it to what it was before; what it was before Armageddon. This world is no longer yours. You can hide no longer. I know now why you killed the Wraiths! You never wanted me to see the truth, you never wanted me to attain the power that is now within my grasp! You would have fought me to the death, and I would have perished, leaving the people of this world to the death you would give them. But no more. This is the beginning of the end. When the last Wraith falls we will finish this for good." 

**********************************************************************************************

            Cain felt himself ripped from his perch on the Cliffside, he fell, tumbling against the rocky crag as he did so. He ignored the pain, instead concentrating on pulling the souls of the dead to his side. And then, as he fell, he saw it. The black cross; Shinji's cross. It was falling, plummeting down towards him. The massive shape was burning; set aflame by its re-entry into the atmosphere, or, perhaps by the wrath of the one it had once bound. The AT fields found him at last, and Cain felt himself lightly touch the ground. He leapt quickly to the side as the massive crucifix hit the desert soil where he had touched down, splitting the earth as it did so. The Third Child was not attached to it. The object sat only momentarily before it began to shrink and change, becoming more and more elegant as it did so. Moments later the Lance of Longinus had retained its formers shape, and acquired its new master.


	25. Chapter 25: Holy Land

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated materials are the property of Gainax.

            "Shinji…It's hard without you, but I am trying my best. I keep hoping for the impossible; hoping that somehow I can see your face again. Maybe if I hope long enough and hard enough I can be with you again."

            Her words echoed across the silent water to nothingness, lost in the deafening silence of the sunrise. Asuka Langley Soryu wondered if perhaps her sanity had finally left her as she sat upon the shore. Her heart and soul felt bereft of the will to exist, as if some piece of her had fallen into the small waves and floated off, never to return. And perhaps it was true. Perhaps she was just a silly little girl, brokenhearted, headstrong, and steadfastly refusing to give up on the only part of her life that she felt gave her meaning. 

            She did not know how long she sat on that little patch of shoreline or whether she was now sleeping or awake. She hoped it was the former instead of the latter; dreams offered her escape, though, she could never see his face in her dreams either. But sometimes she would feel something warm, something close. A voice.

            "_I will never forget you."_

**********************************************************************************************

            Idan Yakir was in no way a timid man. He was young, a hearty 18 years of age, and full of life and passion. He was taller than most, around 6'2" with dark hair that he wore cut fairly short. There was much on the mind of this man, namely the German advance. He, like most Israeli men of his age, was a soldier, and a very well trained soldier at that. However he was highly concerned about the downward movement of the German forces. The country of Israel had only 6 Gamma series Evangelions to its name, which was miniscule when compared to the amount employed by the Germans. The split of the United States had been bad news politically for the always threatened state of the country, and the alliance with the Pacific States made Israel the only Pacifically allied country in the Middle East. So, naturally, an attack was expected to come swiftly, most likely in the next two to three days.

            It was in an alley outside of his family's synagogue where he found the man he and his people would later come to know as Gideon. The corpse looked fresh, as if the body had been living only moments ago. The body was that of a man of what appeared to be Asian descent. He was naked, and his exposed skin was marked with several frighteningly long scars: Two on one shoulder, one on the other, a horizontal mark on his cheek, and a bizarre cross shaped one that rand down the length of his chest. In the middle of this long cross scar, at the point where the vertical met the horizontal, was embedded a sword, a Katana he believed it was called. Yakir turned from the alley way and began to yell for a doctor.

**********************************************************************************************

            The darkness seemed to go on forever, both in the physical area around him as well as the thoughts in his mind. Cain, despite his assuredness, did not like this place. It was too…he found that he couldn't quite decide why, but either way he would not be in this place for long. And soon he found what he had been looking for.

            "Unit-04."

**********************************************************************************************

            The sound of a basketball hitting a backboard could be heard as three boys found themselves out of the house. Kensuke Aida spoke:

            "Do you think that we will be in Japan long?"

            "I hope so," Toji said.

            Damon Robinson, however, shook his head.

            "We won't be. From the looks of things Germany is going to make a move on Israel, and they are our only Middle Eastern ally."

            Kensuke grinned.

            "I hope we get shipped out soon. I can't wait."

**********************************************************************************************

            "And what of Shinji? Surely something has gone wrong."

            Kowaru Nagisa shook his head.

            "I do not know. He is not dead but…I am not sure what happened."

            "The scrolls…they mentioned something about ascending to the mother, and then, confronting the father," Fuyutski said.

            "Again, nothing is certain. This is indeed an unstable existence. No predictions are ever exact."

            "I fear what…the enemy might do. We have obligations to our allies, but if we are to be attacked head on…we will need more Evangelions to hold."

            "Am I incorrect in assuming that Unit-06 is nearly complete?"

            "You are correct. It is in New Zealand at the moment, but the construction is nearly done."

            "I might be obligated to lend you my services in that regard."

            Fuyutski nodded.

            "As far as Germany though…we will need to send a force to Israel."

            "How many do you propose?"

            "I have not yet decided. It would be unwise to send a large force. I doubt Israel will hold if an entire German force is thrown at them, plus it will be difficult transporting an Eva there in the first place," Fuyutski said.

            "Send Soryu."

            "Soryu? Is that wise? She seems to be somewhat unstable after Ikari's death."

            The Fifth child smiled, and commander Fuyutski was given the distinct impression that the boy was not telling him something.

**********************************************************************************************

            "Rei?"

            "Yes."

            "I'm starting to worry about Toji."

            "Maybe you should apologize to him," the first child suggested to Hikari Horaki.

            "Apologize to him? Apologize for what? This is his fault."

            "Are you so sure? I would consider giving the situation more thought on your part."

            "Do you really mean that?"

            "Toji was very upset at the time, Shinji has been his good friend for years now. They have been through a lot together."

            "Yes…"

            "Maybe instead of being angry with him about not being able to deal with his feelings, you should help him try to deal with his feelings."

**********************************************************************************************

            "What do we do?"

            "I am not sure. I have never seen a case like this before. I mean, he still has a pulse."

            The man looked up from the body on the table in front of him to the young soldier.

            "I say you should pull the sword out."

            "Idan, I am not so sure that is wise."

            "What other options do we have? Are you going to put a man with a pulse in the morgue?"

            The old doctor was obviously agitated by this remark.

            "Fine."

            The doctor leaned down and grabbed the sword by the handle, making sure that he had a tight grip. Moments later he gave a momentous tug. The sword was easily removed from the body, though, as soon as this occurred, the doctor's hands began to burn, and he ran out of the room screaming. Idan Yakir found himself blinded by a scorching white light that seemed to emanate from the body. He heard a clatter as the steel of the removed weapon hit the floor, and then, at last, he was told what to do.

            _Cover the Sword._

            It was a voice like which he had never heard before, an unearthly, powerful, booming tone that seemed to echo around the room. Idan grabbed a sheet off of the nearest hospital bed and covered the weapon. In an instant the blinding light was gone as soon as it had come, and only the body of a dark haired Asian boy remained.

**********************************************************************************************

            It was his first time in an Evangelion, but, like all things, Cain found that it came naturally to him. As expected, the lance of Longinus had grown large again once the Evangelion had come near it, and now he clasped it tightly in his massive steel hand. There was still much to do, and Cain began walking north east towards Washington D.C.. It would be a long way from Nevada, and he decided to waist no more time.

**********************************************************************************************

            "I apologize for what happened to your friend."

            "Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault, plus it didn't seem like his hands sustained any permanent damage."

            Idan Yakir watched the man smile slightly and nod. Talking to this man was easily the strangest thing he had ever done. He had no explanations as to how he was alive at all, or why he spoke the language, or how he got to Israel, or his scars, or what had happened to him. Though, Idan did find him somewhat familiar, though he couldn't quite place why.

            "So you don't remember anything at all?"

            The Asian man shook his head.

            "Not even your name?"

            Again he motioned that he did not.

            "Well I suppose that I will just have to give you a name," Idan said as he glanced at the blade he carried still wrapped in hospital sheets. "From here on out your name is Gideon. Okay?"

            The man now dubbed Gideon nodded.

            "Good," Idan said, "It fits you. The name means Warrior."

            Gideon nodded. 

            "I…I would like to find a better cover for the sword," he said as he adjusted the weapon in his grasp, "Something wooden, or at least not fabric."

            "Idan nodded.

            "It's not a problem, I know a guy who can probably make you something."

            The young soldier sighed.

            "It must be tough not remembering anything."

            "Yes," Gideon said, "But I have not forgotten everything."

            Idan stopped walking and turned to his new acquaintance.

            "Oh?"

            "I…I can see an image in my mind. An image of a woman. I…I think that I am in love with her."

            "You're in love with her, but you don't know who she is?"

            Gideon nodded.

            "I think that if I can find her, then everything will be alright again. I think that…my purpose is to find her, my reason for being here is to be by her side forever."

**********************************************************************************************

            "Misato!"

            Ryoji Kaji was becoming frustrated now.

            "For God's sake we are already late enough as it is!"

            "I know, and I'm sorry," Misato Katsuragi yelled as she came scrambling down her to her car.

            "I think the food is going to get cold if we make them wait any longer, and that would be highly unfortunate, because Hikari is an amazing cook."

**********************************************************************************************

            "Toji, Toji are you in here?"

            Hikari Horaki slowly entered Toji Suzahara's room. It was in complete darkness. She walked to the center of the space, and sat on the bed.

            "Toji please answer me."

            "What."

            "I wanted to apologize to you. I was insensitive and selfish, and I am sorry."

            Toji Suzahara stood from where he had been sitting by the window and moved to the bed as well.

            "No, Hikari it was my-," Toji found his words cut off as a finger was placed upon his lips.

            "No, Toji, don't. You've apologized to me enough. This one was my fault, and I don't want you saying you're sorry."

**********************************************************************************************

            "Do you think dinner is ready yet?"

            "I am not sure," Rei Ayanami said as she let her head rest against the chest of her husband.

            "Oh man I am so hungry."

            Silence followed for several minutes.

            "Damon?"

            "Yes?"

            "Do you ever think about…children?"

            The seventh child suddenly felt his entire world tip upside down at the mention of one simple word.

            "Um, children, Rei?"

            The blue haired girl nodded, her head rubbing upon the chest of the American pilot.

            "I'm not quite sure that I'm ready for that Rei. I think that might be getting a bit ahead of ourselves."

            "Why?"

            "Because…for one thing both of us are 18 for God's sake. We still have our whole lives ahead of us. Do you really want to be burdened with a child already?"

            "You do not wish to have children with me?"

            "No! No that's not it at all. I guess I kind of just want to concentrate on loving you right now, and you only."

            "I see."

            "Plus we are in the middle of a war right now. I don't think that it would be right to bring a child into a world plunged into war."

            "Perhaps."

            Damon shifted his position on the bed so that he was now looking into the eyes of the first child, grasping her hand in his own as he did so.

            "Rei…I would love to have children with you. I just want to wait a while, that's all. Okay?"

            The blue haired girl leaned in closely to the American's face, wrapping her arms around his back and holding him close.

            "Okay."

**********************************************************************************************

            "Asuka?"

            "Yes."

            "Asuka this is Commander Fuyutski. At 1300 hours tomorrow you and Unit-02 are being mobilized. Your destination is Israel. There you will command a defensive posture against the German troops with the help of the Israeli Gamma's. You will receive a full briefing at NERV HQ tomorrow. That is all."

            With a soft click, the telephone receiver went dead.

            Asuka Langley Soryu hung up the phone receiver with a sigh and headed towards the kitchen for dinner with the only family she felt she had left.

*****************************************************************************************  

            "Will I ever see you again?" She wondered to her memories and her dreams.

            _"Perhaps we shall meet in Heaven."_

            "So, in the end, Death was the only answer, wasn't it?"

            _"No, we cannot die in this place, for neither of us is truly alive."_

            "I don't know if I can stand to be apart from you until then. It hurts so much."

            _"Do not despair. This life becomes only what you yourself make it, and Heaven is much closer than you imagine."_

            __


	26. Chapter 26: The Last Crusade

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other related materials are the property of Gainax.

************************************************************************

Sorry for the delay everybody, I know I left yah hanging. You can blame trigonometry and final fantasy 11 for that. Anyway I'm sorry to say it, but we are getting down to the end here. Expect about 2, maybe 3 chapters more. It's been great writing for everyone, and I cannot believe that I managed to pass 200 reviews. Thank you to everybody who reads, and even more to everyone who reviews. Anyway enough of me talking, here we go:

************************************************************************

            "The people are getting nervous."

            Gideon nodded.

            "Death is a scary thing."

            Idan Yakir smiled slightly.

            "You talk as if you've been there my friend."

            Gideon smiled.

            "If I had, I think I would have stayed."

            Yakir nodded.

            "Yes, sometimes it seems like a wonderful thing I will admit. But if we do not live our lives now, it will be meaningless then."

            "Perhaps."

            Gideon yawned as a man dressed in a soldier's uniform entered the room carrying a piece of paper.

            "Captain."

            Gideon looked over at Yakir and spoke.

            "You didn't tell me you were a captain."

            "You didn't ask," he responded with a smile as he reached out and took the piece of paper the soldier was offering him. His demeanor became quiet and thoughtful as he read it.

            "What does it say," Gideon said.

            "Unit-02 has arrived from Japan."

            He glanced at his watch.

            "Better go and greet the pilot formally," he decided.

            "Mind if I come along?" Gideon asked.

            "Sure. I could use company on the walk over anyway."

            Then, with the matter decided, the two men stood and began to make their way to a Hummer vehicle parked outside of the residence and begin the somewhat lengthy drive to the launch base. After about 20 minutes in the car they reached the base, which, like NERV, the majority of was underground, and proceeded into the elevator and down the shaft. After several more moments they came to a stop and emerged into a cavernous room, at the back of which was housed a gigantic red as fire Evangelion.

            "Wow."

            Yakir laughed.

            "Quite amazing aren't they. That red unit there is one of the finest ever built."

            The Japanese boy could feel something stirring inside of him, some unknown feeling struggling to escape into his thoughts. He couldn't place it, but there was something about the Eva that frightened him; something about it that both terrified him and excited him at the same time.

            "Do you mind if I get a closer look?"

            "I don't see why not," Idan said, "Just ask one of the technicians to take you down to the lower bay."

            Gideon nodded, and proceeded to the nearest man in a lab coat. From there he was allowed down farther, close enough to touch the red armor. 

************************************************************************

            Idan Yakir watched the Asian boy for several moments to make sure that he made his way down to the eva safely before turning back to the business that was currently at hand.

            "Ahh, Miss Soryu!" he said as the German pilot emerged from the lounge door located to his right.

            "Hello Captain…Yakir was it?"

            "Yes," he said with a nod, "that is correct."

            "Well here I am, and sir, I want you to know that I would happily die in battle defending your country.

            Idan found himself somewhat taken aback by that statement, which he felt came out of relatively no where. _Why does she want to throw her life away?_

            "Well…I am glad to hear that, though I hope very deeply that you will not have too.

            The red head smiled horribly, as if she knew that they were lying to each other.

            "I have been briefed commander, and I honestly don't think this battle will have much of a different outcome."

            Idan said nothing. He knew it was true. Things did not look good at the moment, not at all. The German woman caught his gaze, snapped a quick salute, and then retreated back into the lounge area from whence she had come.

************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari found his way back up to the storage bridge area, and located Idan.

            "Can I meet the pilot?"

            Yakir pondered this question for a moment. He had already brought the man into a government base so he couldn't really think of a good reason why not. He had decided at once that it was best if Gideon stayed by his side as a precaution. NERV Japan had hinted that something like this might take place and he was no fool.

            "Sure. She's in the lounge."

            With his confirmation received Gideon turned and walked to the lounge door.   
His body felt heavy and he suddenly felt unsure of himself as he opened the latch. He slowly pushed the door open, and as he did so he felt stunned by images; feelings and thoughts that he could not attach to memories. The woman from his dreams, he could see her. She was everywhere, flooded in black and white.

************************************************************************

            "No. That's impossible."

            But nevertheless there he was, alive and wonderful. Shinji Ikari seemed to look right through her vacant, and lost. There was something different. His eyes were red and powerful; they were lust and poetry and hate and pain and love. 

            "Shinji?"

************************************************************************

            **_Shinji_**

            _Shinji?__ Shinji Ikari. I am he. We are the same. Cain. He is me as well. He must be destroyed. I am God. I have returned to this place to save you. This world is mine, and I am corrupt. It must be destroyed. I must destroy this world. I must relinquish heaven and power. I must overcome. I cannot stop. Once it has begun. It will not stop. This is the beginning of the end. I will save them. [I must save her]. _

************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari began to scream, and then found himself on the cold ground. He became aware that he was bleeding. His eyes felt like they were burning and his skin seemed to desert him. [Grasp. Her grasp]. 

            "Asuka."

            Things were becoming clear now. He was not injured, no, he was alive…he remembered. 

************************************************************************

            "It is ready then?"

            "Yes."

            "Is it strong enough?"

            "Strong enough to annihilate every living thing on this planet."

            "Does anyone else know?"

            "The president believes it is only half as strong."

            "Is that why he authorized this?"

            "Yes. Though it would have occurred regardless."

            Cain nodded.

            "We must wait until Ikari returns to Japan. He would not sacrifice the lives of his friends. We will need a distraction if all 9 children as well as the I I I are to be in the same place at the same time."

            Keel smiled slightly.

            "The invasion will begin shortly."

************************************************************************

            "They are within 12 hours of our borders sir."

            Yakir nodded.

            "What is it they want? Unconditional surrender?"

            "Well I'm sure they had that in mind as well, but it seems as if they are demanding that we turn over a man named Shinji Ikari."

            "Damnit. All right. Find Gideon, I have something I need to speak with him about."

************************************************************************

            When Shinji Ikari woke he found himself in a darkened hotel room. As he slowly opened his eyes he found a second pair to be gazing into his own. Asuka Langley Soryu lay naked upon the comforter of the bed, her chin resting on Shinji's chest as she watched him wake. She crawled her body forward, her face level with that of the third child, supporting her weight on her outstretched arms. He reached his hands out to the sides of her face and began to kiss her; to embrace her fully. 

            "Shinji…"

            Her voice rang clear to him. He had defied death for it, returned from a state of absolute bliss simply to hear it call to him again. And soon he became aware that he was alive again. [_Pain]._ Yes, the wonderful pain of existence had filled him again.

 It was different this time; it always was with Asuka, more exciting and wonderful than it had ever been before. He reached his arms out, pulling her body down upon his own.

            "I love you…" She said as she began kissing him again.

            Her kisses were wet; she was crying.

            "Please don't cry, Asuka."

            "I…I just can't believe that you are with me again."

            Shinji smiled.

            "I guess someone up there must like you."

            Asuka made an effort to wipe the tears from her eyes as Shinji allowed his hand to slide down her chest, continuing down farther over her breasts, navel, still farther. This was life, birth, and death. Existence in its purest. _[This place has become defiled by my thoughts, by my taint upon its being. I will return it to true perfection; back to true existence.]_

************************************************************************

            "Please don't to this to me."

            The sun was scorchingly hot.

            "It will be alright in the end."

            "Please…Oh…Oh God please no."

            "I'm sorry Asuka. I can't be responsible for the blood of these people."

            "Please don't leave me again."

            "I love you."

            "Don't say that to me. Don't do this."

            The red metal glint of unit-02 cast itself ominously upon the desert sand.

            "It will be alright. I will see you again, before the end."

            "I kissed him. I kissed Cain."

            "I know."

            "Do you hate me? Is that why you are doing this?"

            "No."

            "I hate you."

            "I know."

            Asuka Langley Soryu found her words meaningless.

            "I love him. I love Cain."

            Shinji nodded.

            "I know. That is why you are pure, Asuka. That is why we returned to each other after the third impact. Your love is pure, absolute, and eternal. Cain and I are one and the same. Your love for him only proves how much I really mean to you."

            Asuka pulled Shinji into a tight embrace, her head resting against his chest.

            "Shut up. You better come to back me. If you leave me alone again I don't know what I'll do. I just love you too goddamn much."

************************************************************************

            "All right listen up Shinji. The exchange is to be made right out in the middle of the field. They say that if we give you over peacefully there won't have to be any fighting. This is your last chance. Are you sure that you want to do this?"

            "I will not be responsible for the destruction of this country or its people."

            Idan Yakir nodded, starting the ignition of the jeep. Shinji looked back from the passenger seat as they drove away, observing the small line of Evangelions behind them, the red unit-02 standing tall in the middle. 7 Evangelions against 20.

            "I suppose I've had worse odds," Shinji mused.

            "What was that?"

            "Nothing."

            The shot came unexpectedly, throwing the jeep onto its side and launching sand into the air. Shinji felt himself make contact with the yellow earth, and then sound seemed to elude him as the Evangelions began to charge across the desert. 

            And then it was before him; A walking metal beast taller than a skyscraper, Man's defiance of God: The Evangelion. Shinji reached to his side and pulled the Wraith blade from its simple sheath. The Eva stepped, attempting to crush him under its sizable mass. Shinji Ikari was faster, rolling to the side of his death. Again it stepped; again he dodged. The Blade: He inserted it into the massive steel ankle, letting the angelic menace step through its own adversary. It buckled, its broken ankle pulling it down to the sand. Shinji glanced upwardly as it fell upon him, activating his AT field as its metallic carcass enveloped him. An Explosion: A Cross of white light emanating from the man, no, from the holy land from which it was born. 

            After the light faded a boy with white hair, red eyes, and a sword gleaming under the hot desert sun remained. There was a black mark upon his cheek, and the boy pulled his simple buttoned shirt from his body, revealing his other scars, if that is what one would call them. They appeared more as tattoos now, ornate and wonderful. The cross shaped one on his chest had grown. It twisted and spread upon his chest, joining with the other black cuts along his shoulders. The boy, no, the god made now movement as seven mighty Evangelions charged past him, hurling themselves into battle, the red one passing directly over his head.

************************************************************************

            "Engage! Engage! For God's sake there are only 7 of them!"

            "Roger that!"

            The German soldier pulled his progressive knife and immediately went for the throat of his Israeli attacker. The German man was well trained, with a synch ratio of 71%, far above average for most Gamma pilots. His blade sunk easily through the neck armor of his opponent, spilling LCL onto the sands below. He pushed the blade in still deeper, vying to tear the jugular entirely. It was at this time that he noticed a man upon the Eva's shoulder. The man stepped from shoulder onto the razor steel of his prog knife, and proceeded to use it as a bridge onto his own Evangelion. The German man looked down upon the red eyed man on his shoulder; he watched as the he began to float upwards until they were eye level. He swatted at the nuisance with his massive robotic arm. Light: An orange flash. The German man began to scream as he felt his arm begin to melt from the side of his body. He observed in horror as the boy extended his arm in front of him. Then he felt a massive wave of force, as if two gigantic magnets were forced to oppose each other. Light and sound ceased, and then his existence faded to black.


	27. Chapter 27: Aria of Love and Death

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other related material is the property of Gainax.

            He stood tall upon the flaming sands, his shadow long and ominous against the setting sun. There was wreckage everywhere, yet to Shinji Ikari it was still a beautiful place. The strong metallic smell of LCL filled the air, just as the red substance filled the sands around him. He could feel his rage leaving him, and he set his blade into its scabbard. Though he personally could not observe the transformation his body had sustained, his hair began to fade from white back to brown again, his eyes from red back to blue, his ornate scars shrinking. 

            It had been a victory, though all of the Israeli soldiers had perished valiantly in the fight against overwhelming odds. Shinji sighed.

            "It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

            The Germans had lied, pretending to want Shinji alive to lure he and Idan out into the open. They had paid, though. He had made them pay. His children; the creatures of this planet.

            "I am sorry."

            It was at this time that Shinji became aware of Unit-02 standing behind him. The third child smiled. 

            "Told you I wouldn't leave you," he said, though she could not here him.

************************************************************************

            Asuka Langley Soryu watched Shinji silently from her eva, observing his body fade from the colors it had held during the battle. His bare chest was splattered with LCL, as were his arms and face. 

            "Shinji…What are you?"

************************************************************************

            "Shinji Ikari! I gotta tell ya man I can't fucking believe it."

            Damon Robinson received the same sad eyed smile that his friend had given him since they met all those years ago.

            "So tell us," Kensuke said, "How did you do it? I mean, what happened exactly?"

            "Maybe I'll tell you someday."

            "I don't even think he knows," Toji said as he downed the last of his drink, while at the same time motioning for another.

            "Oh come on man! How did you make it back?" Kensuke pleaded, knowing deep down that Shinji wouldn't tell him how he had managed to return seemingly from the dead.

            Shinji sighed.

            "Are you so sure I did?"

            "Huh?"

            Shinji reached across the table and grabbed Kensuke's wrist. He opened his friend's hand and then placed the palm over Kensuke Aida's heart.

            "Be good to Nishka."

            Shinji pushed his chair back from the table and stood, placing a few yen on the table for a tip while Kensuke gave him a funny look, his hand still over his heart.

            "Wha…?"

            "Maybe you'll figure it out someday."

************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari stepped out of the restaurant where he had been dining with his friends and embraced the cool night air. They had been celebrating his return from Israel (and from what his friends considered the dead) with a guy's night out. There was a lump in his throat, and what felt like a thorn in his side. A feeling of dread seemed to be coming over him, blinding him, following him from place to place since the battle of Israel. He could feel the end coming, approaching him ever closer. It was unstoppable; unavoidable. It was a speeding train and he was tied to the tracks. Shinji turned to his right and began to walk the silent city streets back towards the house where he stayed with the other pilots. He glanced into one of the passing alleyways and for a moment thought he saw Rei Ayanami. Her body was young, her features pure and beautiful. He blinked. The image was gone. Shinji began to walk again and tried to shake the feeling of déjà vu from his system.

            "I must be going crazy."

************************************************************************

            "It doesn't have to end this way, Keel."

            "This will be much less painless if you surrender now."

            "Never."

            "This is inevitable, Fuyutski. If you hand over the III it is not necessary for there to be bloodshed."

            "Who am I to hold sway over their lives?"

            "It will not only be the end for them commander. It will be release for all."

            "Then I guess I'll see you in hell."

************************************************************************

            Chairman Keel smiled as he hung up the telephone receiver. The end was finally at hand.

            "Did he take the bait?" Cain asked.

            "Of course. Fuyutski is blinded by his own foolish ideals."

            Cain nodded.

            "When do we begin?"

            Keel coughed into his right hand before he answered.

            "The president of the U.S. is entirely under my control. The invasion will begin in 24 hours."

            "Fine. I assume they are unaware of Gendo's presence?" Cain found that he had nearly said Father instead of Gendo.

            "You refer to him as if he still lives."

            "He is not truly dead."

            "I suppose that is true to an extent. His soul still lives…Yes. I will prepare the weapon. The plan remains unaltered mind you. Once we manage to acquire Kaji and Nagisa you must get Shinji out into the open."

            "I know. Why do you think I went through all that trouble to retrieve Unit-04?"

            Keel nodded.

            "Good. In less than 24 hours perfection will be ours at last."

            Cain did not smile.

************************************************************************

            Commander Fuyutski slammed the telephone receiver back onto its cradle and put his face in his hands.

            "How much time do we have?" Kowaru Nagisa asked.

            "Probably 24 hours. Keel won't waste anytime."

            Fuyutski slammed his fist down onto his oak desk.

            "Damnit!"

            Kowaru frowned.

            "What's wrong?"

            "You know damn well what's wrong. This wasn't what the scrolls said."

            "Perhaps something has changed," The fifth child suggested.

            "They are coming for you, ya know. You understand that, right? You and Kaji and Shinji. And if that happens the rest of the Wraiths will finish instrumentality. If all three of you fall there will be nothing to stop the third impact."

            "I know that. But I believe that there may just be another force at work here. Something…unseen. Perhaps even Keel does not know of its presence."

            "I think that you assume too much," The commander said flatly.

            "What do we do?"

            "Tell all the pilots of the situation. Tell them that they have 24 hours to get their affairs in order."

************************************************************************

            When Misato Katsuragi returned to the apartment that she shared with Ryoji Kaji after work she found the interior destroyed. It was obvious that a struggle had taken place. Shelves were overturned and art had been knocked to the ground. There were several bullet holes in the walls, though there was no sign of any bloodshed. Kaji was gone.

************************************************************************

            "Commander?"

            "Yes, go ahead Misato."

            "They took Kaji."

            "What? How?"

            "I don't know. It looked like a SWAT team. There were flash-bang canisters left behind."

            "My god…"

            "Where is Kowaru?"

            "I sent him home to tell the other pilots to get their affairs in order, why?"

            A split second later it dawned on the commander what Misato was trying to say. He quickly hung up the phone and proceeded to dial the number of the section 2 agent assigned to Kowaru Nagisa. There was no answer. The commander collapsed back into his chair again. The phone rang.

            "Hello?"

            "Do not be alarmed. They are alive."

            "Who is this?"

            "Tell Ikari hi for me."

            "What?"

            "Tell him that I will see him tomorrow."

            The phone went dead.

************************************************************************

            Shinji Ikari let out a deep breath as he hung up the living room telephone. He could see the eyes of all of his friends pointed on him; concentrated on him.

            "Was that Fuyutski?"

            "Yes."

            "And?"

            "We are to report for pilot duty at NERV tomorrow. We're being invaded."

            "And until then?"

            "We have twenty-four hours to live."

************************************************************************

            Unit-03 and Unit-V sat quietly in the chambers below central dogma.

            Toji Suzahara and Hikari Horaki lay in bed silently next to each other.

            "Toji…I don't want to fight."

            "I know."

            "I've never even been in a real battle before."

            "Neither have I," he reminded her.

            "I know. I just never thought that my life would end like this."

            "Are you disappointed?"

            "No. It was worth it. To have been able to be with you…it was worth it."

            "Hey. Hikari…We aren't dead yet. Don't lose hope, okay? We very well could win tomorrow. I mean we have Shinji on our side."

            They both knew that the next day would hold their deaths.

            "Toji?"

            "Yes?"

            "If this is our last night, then I want it…I want it to be special."

            Toji Suzahara began to kiss the ninth child.

************************************************************************

            Unit-I and Unit-07 sat quietly in the chambers below central dogma.

            Kensuke Aida and Nishka Zalomai strolled quietly through Tokyo-3's Tanaka park.

            "Well I suppose this is it," She said.

            "I guess so."

            "You finally get to go to war. Are you happy?"

            "I don't know. I can't say that I'm not a bit excited. I mean, this is going to be the most amazing battle in history. I mean, we are being invaded by America. You can't ask for something much more epic than that."

            Nishka laughed and hated herself for it.

            "How can you be so casual about this? We could die."

            Kensuke suddenly turned and tackled his blonde haired companion onto the grassy hillside beside them.

            "Then we'll go down together in blazing glory. There's nothing more romantic than dying for the ones you love."

            "That's depressing."

            "Look. There is no sense in being sad about it, okay? I mean, there is no way out of this. It's not like we have a choice. This is it. It's either them or us, and I'm gonna give everything I have to make sure that it ain't us."

            Nishka's eyes fell from Kensuke's where he held her on the ground. She found herself suddenly embarrassed that she feared death. 

            "Look at me. If we don't stop this tomorrow then everything we love is going to be destroyed anyway. So I figure we might as well give it all we've got."

            "You're right…I'm sorry."

            "Don't apologize. It's not your fault that you're a normal human being," Kensuke said with a smile.

            "You've always been stronger than me."

            "That's not true."

            "Just look at how calm you are Kensuke! Just look at how willing you are to die for what's right!"

            "Nishka?"

            "Yes?"

            "Do you know the moment that I fell in love with you?"

            "No."

            "It was the exact instant that I realized you took that sword meant for Asuka, that night that I came back from the black moon. Right then I knew, as you laid there dying in my arms, coughing up blood, without a conceivable chance in either of our minds of you surviving that night. That's when I knew how wonderful you are. That's when I knew that I loved you."

            "Oh Kensuke…" She managed to say as her tears came.

            Kensuke Aida pulled her sobbing frame close to his own as he remembered what Shinji Ikari had said to him earlier that day as his hand rested over his heart. _Be good to Nishka and maybe you'll figure out how I came back someday._

            Kensuke Aida began to whisper into Nishka's ear.

            "Don't worry about what tomorrow will bring. Be with me here; hold me now, and just know that true love transcends death."

************************************************************************

            Unit-X and Unit-05 sat quietly in the chambers below central dogma.

            "Do you come here often?"

            "Not really. It just helps me remember were we've been."

            Rei Ayanami nodded solemnly as she gazed at the view stretching out before her. She sat next to Damon Robinson on the roof of the building where Shinji had fought the fourth Wraith.

            "Are you ready for tomorrow?" She asked.

            "Doesn't really matter does it?"

            "No. I suppose not."

            "But that's alright though. I've lived a fulfilling life. If I had to die right now, here, with you, I would go happy."

            "Why is that?"

            "Because I love you. Because you're all that really matters to me now. Everyone else I've loved is already dead."

            "I see," Rei said.

            He watched her as she walked to the edge of the building.

            "You want to go now? Get it over with?" Damon asked.

            He approached the edge as well. They both stood, feeling the slight cool updraft from the streets below and looking outwards past the city lights.

            "To jump you mean?"

            Damon nodded.

            "We could do it together."

            "Then how would we get to heaven?"

            "I…I don't believe in heaven anymore," Damon said, "So whatever happens, well, it just happens. There's nothing else to it. Whether we jump here, or die tomorrow, or live to we're old, I just don't care. As long as I'm with you nothing else matters to me."

            She kissed him, balancing on the edge of eternal peace.

            "I don't want to die. I want to live on. I want to see future generations. I want to have children. I want to grow old. I don't want to die…I'd rather just fade away."

            Damon pulled Rei into a soft embrace and then stepped back onto the safety of the rooftop.

            "Then that's what we'll do."

************************************************************************

            Unit-01 and Unit-02 sat quietly in the chambers below central dogma.

            Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Soryu sat side by side gazing upon one of Tokyo-3's many angel made lakes.

            "Is it going to be like before? I mean, like the first time?"

            Shinji shrugged.

            "I don't know. I wouldn't worry too much. It's not you they're after."

            "They weren't after me the first time either."

            "I won't abandon you this time. I promise."

            "Is this really going to be the end this time?"

            Shinji nodded.

            "Yes. I think so. For good or for worse I think that this is it."

            "Shinji?"

            "Yes?"

            "What's it like to die?"

            "It's like falling into the ocean. At first it's a shock, and it's very cold and frightening. But then it's peaceful and you just sort of drift away."

            "To where?"

            "I don't know. I don't think it's the same for everybody."

            "Oh. Well," she said in a tone that seemed to bring some finality to the conversation, "I suppose it could be worse. But, I would miss you."

            "Don't worry. I'll find you."

            "How?"

            "I'll find a way."

            Silence passed between them.

            "What if you do find me? What happens then?"

            Silence again invaded for several moments.

            "Then we wake up."

            "Wake up?"

            "Yes."

            "Where?"

            "Where would you like to awaken?"

            "Someplace wonderful," she said.

            "Eden?"

            "No. I want to awaken in a place just like this."

            "On the lakeshore?"

            "Yes. I want to sit up from the shore with you by my side and be able to hear the waves on the white sand."

            "Alright. Then that's how we will wake up, with the lake sprawled out for miles around us, and the sand under our feet."

            "Would that be heaven?"

            "Yes, Asuka. I think that that would be heaven."


	28. Chapter 28: The Path of the Righteous

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated materials are the property of Gainax.

************************************************************************

Ezekiel 25:17

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." 

************************************************************************

            "This is the single greatest threat to mankind's survival that we have ever faced. If we are not victorious tonight, tomorrow will never come. I won't lie to you. We are outnumbered, outgunned, outmatched, and completely strategically overpowered. Remember your families. Remember your friends. You all experienced the third impact. You all should know that we are not dealing with the forces of mankind alone in this battle. The very fabric of space and time can come into play. We don't know what might happen so be ready for anything."

            Commander Fuyutski paused and glanced at Asuka.

            "That means anything…including total brutality."

************************************************************************

Is it done?"

            "Yes," Keel said sounding slightly annoyed, "the coordinates are set for the bay just east of Tokyo 3. As soon as we manage to push back the Japanese forces Nagisa and Kaji will be taken their on the carrier."

            "By air-drop?" Cain asked.

            "Yes."

            "What if something goes wrong and we cannot reach that position?"

            "In the event of some sort of emergency the bomb can be repositioned. To do so you will have to re-input the coordinates into the computer."

            "Alright."

            Chairman Keel poured sake into two cups, handing one to Cain.

            "A toast. To peace at last."

            "To the end of all things."

************************************************************************

            "You ever seen anything quite like that?" Kensuke Aida asked.

            "Can't say I have. If I had to warrant a guess though, I'd say the world was coming to an end," said Damon Robinson in response.

            In the cock pit of Unit-01, Shinji Ikari smiled. 

            "Wouldn't be the first time."

            From where the eight pilots stood upon their hill, the beach seemed to stretch out forever. And, with it, the American Gamma Evangelions slow approach up the beach. Shinji watched as the first volley of defensive missiles was launched at the invaders. He knew that standard military equipment would not be enough to stop them, but he admired the military for trying.

            "Alright," he said, "let's get ready.

            Damon drew his sword. Rei loaded her shotgun. Asuka inserted the clips on both of her pallet rifles. Nishka pulled both of her progressive knives from their sheaths. Kensuke produced a progressive knife in one hand and a rifle in the other. Hikari and Toji shouldered their sniper rifles and crouched down, lining up their eyes with the scopes. Shinji's mind rushed to thoughts of Asuka, and he summoned his AT blade. 

            "Here we go."

            The clouds grew dark, and the downpour that had started so many years ago began anew. 

************************************************************************

            "Sir we can see them. They're at the top of the hill. It's the unit series."

            Cain's voice came grating through the Gamma radios with his response.

            "Engage."

************************************************************************

            Shinji could feel his blade penetrate the armor of his first kill. He watched as the blood sprayed outwards onto unit-01. The other gamma's paused for a second as if the fall of their comrade discouraged them, but, one after another, they continued their slow march of duty. They fell easily to his weapon, but for every felled eva more only seemed to emerge until they seemed to be bearing down upon him from all sides; a cascading waterfall of blood and death. He slashed. And again. And again. But it was no use. They were covering him, engulfing him. As he hit the ground he glanced upward through the rain to see the black moon. It seemed larger than before, as if it was swallowing the very planet whole.

            Bang.

            Bang.

            Gun shots. He watched as heads began to explode.

            "Shinji move!" Toji yelled over the comm..

            The third child shook swung his blade in a circular arc, spilling the intestines of the Evas around him and began to run back towards the hill where Toji and Hikari were perched.

************************************************************************

            Slice. Another head rolled at the feet of Unit-X. Another gamma came. Another pair of arms fell to the ground.

            "Behind you." 

            "What?"

            "Duck!"

            Damon Robinson hit the ground as Rei Ayanami cocked her shotgun and blasted the rib cage of a Gamma to pieces.

            "Thanks."

            "There's too many of them."

            "I know."

            Damon stood from the ground and stepped backwards toward Rei.

            "What should we do?" he asked.

            "I think it's a little bit late to be asking that question."

            "Damon! Rei!" It was Nishka on the comm..

            "We copy."

            "We need to fall back and regroup. We can't keep this up."

            "Agreed. Fall back to the hill."

************************************************************************

            "Kensuke come on!"

            "No way."

            "Please."

            "I can't retreat. I won't do it."

            "And I can't leave you behind."

            "Well then it looks like we stay and fight."

            "That's suicide."

            "Do you really think that retreating to the hill is gonna win this battle?"

************************************************************************

"Asuka!"

            Shinji scanned the battlefield while he did his best to keep the invaders away from Toji and Hikari.

            "I'm here," she said as she emerged from behind several fallen gammas.

            "You're hurt."

            "I'll live."

************************************************************************

            "Keel. We have secured the bay and Nagisa and Kaji are on the carrier."

            "Good. Stop the assault. Contact Ikari immediately."

            Cain nodded and activated the large radio console on the deck of the aircraft carrier the invasion was calling home base. He lifted the receiver and held the button down.

            "Shinji. Shinji come in. I think you know who this is."

************************************************************************

            "Goddamnit."

            "Shinji…answer it," Asuka said.

            "I won't give up like this. I won't let it end this way."

            "Shinji. Fuck your pride. We can't win this way. Answer it."

            "Damnit."

            "Ikari are you there?" Cain snarled through the radio.

            "Yes I'm here."

            "I think we both know that this isn't how it's supposed to end. Tell your friends to drop their weapons and run. They will not be followed."

            "I can't do that."

            "Fine will compromise. If you give yourself up right now they can come and watch what happens next."

            "There's no way I can trust you."

            "You don't have too. But if you don't Kaji and Nagisa will be killed in 1 hour. Can you kill them Shinji?"

            Shinji turned off the radio and motioned for the other pilots to drop their weapons.

************************************************************************

            Kowaru Nagisa heard the sound of a door opening and then felt the rush of cold as the rain hit his body. He could hear the guards speak.

            "He said to take the blindfolds off."

            Suddenly Kowaru Nagisa received the full view of his surroundings. He sat upon the long black runway of an aircraft carrier. Rain was falling in sheets and the ship was rocking from the storming ocean that surrounded it. He could see Tokyo-3 off in the distance, and the pilots of the unit series sitting on the other side of the massive carrier. 

************************************************************************

            "They're all here," Cain said.

            "Finally…the impact will end. Perfection at last" 

            Keel turned and picked up the telephone receiver and began to order the launch. Cain drew his sword.

            "What are you doing? This is it. All of the III are here! If they all die nothing can stop the Wraiths from completing the impact!"

            "I'm sorry. But unfortunately I believe our opinions on perfection differ."

            With one clean swing Cain relieved the former SEELEE chairman Keel's neck of the burden of supporting his head. Cain replaced his sword and picked up the dangling telephone receiver.

            "Hello? Commander?"

            "No this is Sub-commander Cain."

            "Yes sir."

            "What are the current launch coordinates?"

            "The missile is to be fired directly at the hull of the super carrier independence sir."

            "There's been a change of plans. I need you to reprogram the coordinates for the missile launch."

************************************************************************

            "So what happens now?" Kensuke asked.

            "I don't know. I suppose the Americans will either kill us or take us prisoner," Shinji said.

            "Hello Iesous."

            Cain emerged from a door to the side of where Shinji and the other sat on the runway."

            "I should have known," Shinji said, "you were behind this from the beginning weren't you?"

            Cain smiled.

            "Well I wouldn't say from the beginning exactly…But for the parts that mattered."

            "So what now. Kill Kowaru, Kaji and I?" Shinji said.

            Cain seemed ignored Shinji's question, instead walking over to wear Asuka sat. Asuka lifter her head and stared into his eyes. Cain smiled again. 

            "It was fun while it lasted."

            He broke his stare from Asuka and returned it to Shinji.

            "No Shinji I'm not going to kill you III. You see, that would bring about the third impact. You see, what we are here to decide tonight is which part of you gets to possess this world. Me or you. There can only be one God. So we decide tonight."

            "And you want us to kill the rest of the Wraiths."

            "Wrong again my schizophrenic friend. It isn't your help I need, rather, its father's."

            "What?"

            "You heard me. Gendo gets to kill the third impact tonight."

            "Your insane."

            "Fraid' not. Remember that bomb that blew up Sacramento? Those bombs are made out of souls, human souls. Just like an eva. The one that blew up in California was constructed out of your friend Damon here's mother's soul."

            Cain brought his face close to Damon Robinson's.

            "Sorry about that. I'm sure she was a wonderful woman."

            "You're gonna burn in hell you bastard."

            Cain laughed.

            "No, I don't think so. Turns out there is no such thing as hell…or heaven either for that matter. Yep, in fact the only peace that will ever be able to satisfy a creature so blatantly corrupt and disturbed as the human being is, well, death. Nothingness. Only in giving up all thought and feeling can we be at peace. A world of the dead. This is the world that I will rule."

            Cain walked back towards Shinji.

            "And in order to do that I have to kill the wraiths, and then of course I have to kill Shinji here. Oh, and I'm afraid that your friends will have to die along with you as well, though I wont be the one who is going to do that. No, that task is reserved for Yui. When the black moon goes she comes back, or rather, the true Unit-01 comes back."

            Cain turned on his radio.

            "Alright come out and untie them."

            In seconds a group of soldiers emerged from the door.

            "Good. Untie them all except the Japanese one with the scars. He stays here. Take the other ones back to their Evangelions."

            "You're giving us our Eva's back?" Asuka asked with shock in her tone.

            "But of course. I think it would be a little difficult to fight Unit-01 on your own don't you?"

            "You bastard," Shinji said. 

            Cain glanced at his watch. 

            "Ten minutes until launch. Hurry it up."

            "Yes sir," The guards said, the speed of their task visibly increasing.

            Cain then pointed to the other end of the runway.

            "The two on the other side. I want them loaded into Unit-04."

            "Your unit sir?"

            "That's correct."

            Within moments the rest of the pilots were being shoved back through the door from where Cain had come. Asuka looked back toward the deck before the door closed.

            "I love you."

            Shinji nodded.

            "Don't worry Asuka. We'll see each other again before the end."

            She nodded back and the door slammed shut.

            The wind howled and the rain seemed to intensify as it came crashing down on the nearly deserted runway.

            "Looking for this?" Cain asked, opening his coat and revealing Shinji's sword. He tossed it to the third child. He then opened the other side of his coat and produced a long box. He opened it and carefully removed its content, grasping the Lance of Longinus in his right hand. The lance immediately extended itself to match the size of its user. Cain glanced at his pocket watch.

            "There's still 2 minutes until launch. Think you can kill me before then?"

            Shinji charged, swing his sword horizontally at Cain's face. He dodged, rolling to the right and jabbing at Shinji with his Lance. Shinji dove forward, sliding under Cain's legs. The two combatants now stood 10 feet from the other, their positions switched and their backs turned.

            "One minute."

 At the same moment both turned, swung, and locked their weapons together, Shinji's sword held fast between the middle and right prongs of the lance of Longinus. Suddenly Shinji noticed that a swarm of AT fields seemed to be approaching from the distance.

"You were smart to let all those American soldiers die before you stopped toying with everyone one," Shinji said with sarcasm and venom running through his words.

Cain smiled.

"You know me to well."

Shinji pulled back and the stalemate broke, sending both weapons into the right arms of their opponents. 

"Ahh!" both yelled in unison as they fell to a knee holding their wounds. Shinji ignited his AT field around his body as the screaming hordes of disembodied souls rushed at his body.

"15 seconds."

"Goddamn you Cain."

"That's going to be a bit tough if both of us are already right here," he said, smiling as he cradled his arm wound. Suddenly a sound issued from the tanker so loud that Shinji thought his ear drums were about to burst. There were flames in the sky, and Shinji watched as the gigantic missile broke the atmosphere and plunged directly into the black moon.


	29. Chapter 29: Cry from Heaven

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated materials are the property of Gainax.

The missile plunged deep into the heart of the black moon. There was a flash of a deep crimson red, and then the black sphere began to splinter and collapse as the entire orb began to fall towards the earth. The force of the impact through Shinji Ikari to the ground and he could hear screams echoing from what seemed like the heavens. They were human screams. The souls of humans trapped inside the black moon were being destroyed, and the wraiths along with them. Shinji could feel the presence of his father as if he had never been gone.

"It's done."

Cain stood straight with his head tilted upwards to the sky, the bright flashes of light casting his shadow on the runway even in the darkness of nightfall. Cain turned to face Shinji.

"Can you feel him? Can you feel father?" he asked.

Shinji's expression grew fierce.

"I have no father."

Cain laughed, his features light and smiling.

"Well lets not be overly dramatic now, Shinji."

Another flash of light erupted in the sky and the third child watched as black chunks of rock began entering the atmosphere. Cain did not turn to look.

"Shinji I will give you one more chance to end this right now. Yui is on her way as we speak, and your friends won't last long against her."

"I can't do that."

"You're a fool."

"I have a faith."

Again Cain laughed.

"Delusion."

Damon Robinson watched as the black moon seemed to crumble before his eyes; breaking down and expelling flame and light as it careened downward.

"Unit-01 should be here any moment."

He turned to where Unit-04 stood.

"Kowaru. Try to let Kaji operate Unit-04 as much as possible. If he really is an angel he should be able to gain a 400% synch ratio."

"I understand."

And then it came. It fell with lighting quickness down through the falling wreckage of the black moon, its arms extended out like a cross, and slammed feet first into the ocean.

Shinji reeled as the waves generated from Unit-01's impact with the sea began to bombard the carrier.

"This wont do," he heard Cain say, and soon after another wave hit the carrier sending it up on its side. Shinji hit the pavement and began to slide down towards the opposite deck. Shinji focused his mind and brought his AT field back around himself. Then, with a colossal burst of strength, Shinji began to run back up to the now almost completely vertical carrier. He reached the top panting and stood to face Cain once again.

"Nice trick."

"Don't worry I have a few more," Shinji said.

"Then you must realize how strong you are; how powerful we are in this place. In fact the only thing that is limiting us from total control and manipulation of reality is, in fact, each other."

Cain bent his knees and with a grunt launched himself upwards into the air. Shinji watched for a moment, but soon found that he had lost sight of his adversary. He also noticed that the ship was capsizing back down towards the water again. Shinji drew his sword and felt power cascading through his body once more. He bent his knees and flew into the air the way Cain had done so.

Asuka Langley Soryu watched as the horrifying eyes of Unit-01 at last emerged from the tumultuous waves and stood on the beach. It glanced around, as if it was sizing up its competition. Asuka noticed that most of its armor had been stripped away, and its mouth was exposed.

"There isn't anything to restrain it. Berserker…"

With an earth shattering roar Unit-01 launched itself at Asuka.

Cain stood calmly upon a piece of the black moon. The fragment was still technically in space, but it would not be long before it entered the atmosphere. Cain looked at his left wrist and scoffed, though he knew that he possessed no watch. At that moment Shinji flew up from somewhere beneath him and landed on another falling fragment. Cain tapped his wrist with his other hand.

"You're late."

Cain leaped calmly to the fragment of black earth that Shinji stood upon. His eyes fell to the black markings covering Shinji's body.

"Sephirothic systems. That's a nice touch."

With a scream Shinji swung his sword in a horizontal arc, causing Cain to leap backwards slightly. Shinji followed the blow yet again, and then once more. Utilizing the low gravity of the environment, Cain did a back flip onto another floating crag.

"It's a wonderful feeling isn't it Shinji? Breathing in space. It's sort of strange to not have to breath. In fact I suppose there are a lot of things one does not have to worry about when he can only be killed by one thing."

Cain drew the lance of longinus and pointed it at Shinji. He heard his adversaries silence and smiled.

"But you're right. We've talked long enough."

The screams came again. The souls burst forth from the wreckage of the falling moon, beckoned by their master's call. Shinji watched as they seemed to orbit the falling battlefield. With a battle cry Cain jumped forward at Shinji, swinging the lance in a downward arc. Shinji parried and the battle for control of existence began anew.

Unit-01 threw Asuka to the ground and spun around to meet Kensuke. Yui landed a punch directly to Unit-I's brain case sending Kensuke reeling. Hikari and Toji leaped at the berserk creature but were easily dispersed, one with a kick and the other with a punch. Damon swung his katana downward and took its right hand off with it. With a roar the beast used its left to grab Unit-X by the throat. Damon could feel his neck being crushed and the air escaping his lungs. He looked around and saw Asuka's body crumpled on the ground along with Nishka. His eyes began to close when he saw Unit-04 sink its progressive knife into Unit-01's back. Unit-01 roared and used Damon's body to beat Unit-04 to the ground. Damon looked upwards one final time to watch Rei Ayanami unload two shotgun blasts into Unit-01's face.

Fwip. Fwip. Fwip. The Lance of Longinus danced before Shinji Ikari's eyes. He dodged to the right to avoid the lance but was not quick enough to avoid the orange glow of an AT field.

_Uncle comes home late. He is drunk. He dislikes taking care of me…ever since my mother died…My body is marked with cigarette burns…[I cant take this anymore…why cant I just die? Why does it have to be this way?] _

Shinji screamed. With every soul he touched he could feel the pain; the memories of others. Cain spun and swung the blunt handle of the lance into Shinji's cheek. Shinji hit the black dirt and rolled until he met the edge and stopped.

"You felt that one didn't you?" Cain asked. "Just think Shinji that little girl can be happy if you just accept your fate."

Another shocking orange flash hit Shinji as he was bombarded by another soul.

_I hate this place._** A man sat alone on a bar stool. **_I don't know why I come here. Perhaps I have nothing else? That is pathetic._ **The man looked around at the other people in the smoky dive where he routinely drank himself into depression.** _Are these people happy? Of course not. Just look at them…they are more pathetic than I am._ **He was lying to himself. He knew why he always came to this bar. He had seen a beautiful woman here once. He immediately felt drawn to her, but he was a coward and could not bring himself to talk to her. He had never seen her again but he hoped if he returned here everyday he might, and perhaps then would have the courage. **_What was that? Was that her? _**The man was unsure of who he had seen pass in front of the entrance to the saloon but he stood quickly anyway. **

"Hey where the fuck are you going Rokubungi?"

_"Out."___

"You have to pay your bill."

The man stumbled drunkenly passed the angered bartender and knocked against another customer, spilling his drink.

"Whatch it!"

_"Go to hell."_

The man felt the blow contact his right cheek and he hit the ground. Immediately he aimed a kick at the other man's crotch and sent him to the floor as well. It was on now; he knew he had done it. The other man's friend picked him up by his collar.

"Ya know what Gendo? I've been waiting a long time for a reason to kick your ass."

Gendo Rokubungi felt another blow contact his face and it sent him spiraling into the pool table. Gendo grabbed a pool cue and slammed it into the side of his assailants head, then, when the man had hit the ground, broke it over his back. Gendo spat. He watched the man coughing up blood on the floor. The scene reminded him of home; it reminded him of his father. Gendo Rokobungi exited the bar and swore to himself to never harm a child as long as he lived.

_Father…I will never be like you…_

(……………………………………………………………………….)

Shinji panted for breath as his fathers AT field broke contact with his body and floated upward towards the heavens again.

Cain smiled down at Shinji.

"That was him wasn't it?"

Shinji said nothing, his breath still short as Cain continued.

"He's had quite an interesting life you know. I mean, we both blame him for so much, but, in the end, I can at least see why he turned out the way that he did."

Shinji swung his sword where he lay on the ground and came into contact with Cain's shin. He screamed as blood flowed from the wound. The cut wasn't deep, but Cain got the message: Shinji was done talking. Cain stabbed the lance of Longinus down toward Shinji who managed to roll away from the attack and come to his feet again. Cain pulled the back of the lance back up and struck Shinji under the chin with the handle. The third child staggered backwards and then felt the lance dig deep into his left arm, the tips protruding through to the other side. Cain pulled the lance back out and thrusted forward again. Shinji ignited his AT field and parried the blow, bringing his Katana back up across Cain's elbow, splitting the flesh. With a ferocious cry Cain kicked Shinji from the black rock. The third child plummeted for what seemed like hours though in truth it was mere seconds. Shinji grabbed onto a ledge of one of the lower stones.

"Die!"

Cain began motioning with his hands and Shinji realized what was happening. Hundreds of AT fields were swarming above Cain once more. Then, with one swift downward motion, the souls came barreling at the third child.

"Asuka…"

Shinji began to scream as he felt his veins bulge inside of his flesh. He began to bleed and soon his skin began to melt from his body, leaving red muscular tissue exposed. The pain was extreme, unlike anything Shinji had felt before. With a final roar Shinji extended his AT field to cover the entirety of the fallen black moon, pushing his enemies into space.

Cain watched Shinji's AT field extend out at him, pushing him into the black abyss of space.

"No…"

Cain pushed his palm onto Shinji's AT field and concentrated. In moments he managed to penetrate a portion of the field for an instant. And that was all that it took. Cain was now inside with Shinji again; inside the AT field of the enemy. The inside of the orange sphere was playing memories and images of the life of Shinji Ikari; it was his very being, his complete self. Cain hovered above the plummeting rocks and observed the third child. He had managed to pull himself back up to a standing position. The flesh that had melted from Shinji Ikari was seemingly being replaced by black liquid; the sephirothic runes were flooding to his wounds. He looked much changed. His hair had turned angelic gray and his eyes angelic red. Gone were the elegant black tattoos as they were now covering his bleeding muscles. Cain's smiles and witty replies were gone. Both men brandished their weapons again. Shinji flew upward while Cain descended to meet his opponent.

Rei Ayanami felt her body land upon the fragile earth again. Her vision was coming in spots and she found that she could hear nothing. She could see Unit-X locked in battle with Unit-01. Blackness. She could see Unit-X landing a blow to Unit-01's face. Blackness. She could see Unit-01 punching its fist entirely through Damon's stomach and back out the other side. Blackness.

"Shinji…"

Their blades met and sparked, retracted, met and sparked. Shinji flew backwards and darted forwards again. He was unsure of how long they met in combat. After some time Shinji realized he had made a mistake, and watched as the lance of Longinus entered his chest cavity and exited through the other side. He felt nothing. He was beyond pain. He was beyond everything again. It was like…It was like dying. He could see Cain before him grinning madly. Shinji Ikari spun around and brought his sword up cutting off Cain's right arm and then swung his katana in a horizontal arc at neck level. Shinji Ikari watched as Cain's head fell from his body, his eyes blank as his head plummeted downwards, his face still smiling. Shinji released his concentration and his AT field collapsed back into his body. As the black moon fell through earth's atmosphere Shinji Ikari's impaled body ignited with flame before, moments later, it, along with the remnants of the black moon, plummeted into the earths crust.


	30. Chapter 30: Genesis

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated materials are the property of Gainax.

It was passage into another realm, another place, another being. The earth surrounded him and he seemed to float to the core.

"I'm home."

"Welcome home."

There seemed to be water running around him, channeling existence to its core. God found that his thoughts were fluid; he found that he was Shinji Ikari. He gazed upon the world. It had been destroyed by an apocalypse, but even more by man. It was beautiful now, even at this moment nature seemed to be re-growing itself.

"It is so peaceful now."

But he was lonely. He wanted another to hear his thoughts, to hear the words of God.

"Yes it is peaceful," he responded to himself.

God could see Shinji Ikari standing before him, he could see himself.

"Why is it peaceful?" he asked himself.

"Because you made it peaceful," he told himself.

Shinji agreed with himself.

"Yes," God thought, "I must have made it this way."

Time passed because he made it so.

"Peace," he decided, "is not happiness."

The Shinji that stood beside Shinji agreed.

"Yes, I think that is true."

Shinji gazed upon the world once more and a notion came to him.

"There used to be people alive on this planet, do you remember Shinji?"

"Why yes Shinji, I do seem to remember that. Others that were not myself."

"I miss those people."

"You do?" he asked himself.

"Yes I do. But only because I am all, and I have made it so, isn't that right?"

"There is no right. For you define the question and the answer."

God melted into the blue depths of his world and sat for a time pondering thoughts that he had both created and answered already.

"There was another before me. I wish to speak with her."

"Really? But you already know what she will say."

"This is true. I will make myself again. This time I will not know."

Shinji Ikari became aware outside of himself. He was awash with emotion and fear.

"Cain is gone. I destroyed him. But where…where are all the others?"

He could see Rei Ayanami standing before him. She was young, only 14, and wore a school girls outfit.

"Who, who are you?" he asked.

"I am the lord, your savior and salvation, I used to be God."

"Used to be God?"

"Yes. Before you existed in this place."

"I am God?"

"Yes. Though you have been created by yourself to still have limits. To be able to speak to me and still…and still be able to wonder."

"I see."

"How did you come to be?"

Rei turned and looked into the blackness around her; looked up into the sky.

"I am the final step of science. Mankind's final creation. I come after the Evangelion."

"You were created by man?"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"To save the human race. A man created me, a very wise man. He could see that men were corrupt, and that eventually they would destroy themselves. When man began to harness the power of the human soul in the Evangelion he understood that there was no escaping this fate. Thus he created me. I am a soul that has no human traits, and therefore exists without thought and emotion and pain, though I know of and understand these things. I have one purpose: I possess the ability to create another soul."

"To make the AT field?"

"Yes."

"The man gave me a book. It contained stories. Tales of suffering and penance and valor and much more. The keys to moral society. But eventually society declines. Science brings this decline. Thus he told me to destroy the world. And I did so."

"The first impact?" The Shinji who Wondered asked.

"Yes. But in reality the phenomenon you have experienced is not the third impact, but the 455,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,234,561,001th impact."

"Oh. You have existed a great deal of time."

"Yes. When I destroyed the world, I let the planet begin anew. Though in reality the world was not destroyed. Merely humans. Creatures survive, in fact they evolve. This is how dinosaurs came to be. Birds evolving after man's death."

"You always kill mankind?"

"Yes. Whenever science comes near to creating God, I end it and then let it begin once more. I create an AT field and send it to earth. His name is Adam, and I love him very much. But he must love another; another who is made from himself."

"Eve?" Shinji wondered.

"Yes. And thus society begins again."

"So the bible is true?" Shinji asked.

"Yes. I took the stories of my creator and made it so."

"So mankind never progresses farther than eva before it is destroyed?"

"Yes. My Angels come and destroy it. They wish to save your race as I do."

"But you are no longer God. That means something must have changed. Something is different this time."

"Yes. For the first time mankind has destroyed itself willingly, of its own accord. Just like God, I, would have done. And, in doing so, produced a God. You are a God Shinji."

"But how is that possible?" Shinji asked.

"Mankind has evolved over the millennia, at last it understands that the pain of death is also its savior, its rebirth."

"But man cannot change by itself. You were God. Therefore you must have changed."

"Yes. That is true. Like all other beings in existence I have evolved as well. Evolved beyond what my creator intended. I have done what all other living things strive to do: I have reproduced. I have created another God. My child, my offspring. You."

"So you have become like a human?" Shinji asked.

"Yes. I no longer simply understand what it is like, I feel what it is like."

"And now man has begun to think like a God, to destroy itself in order for the species to survive?"

"Yes. I believe that this is the cycle of the universe."

"So it has always been this way, or is this just evolution taking place?" Shinji wondered of the pail girl before him.

"I do not know. And this very fact makes me imperfect. Whether this is a cycle from the beginning of all, or the evolution of existence itself I cannot tell you."

"I…I miss those that I have left behind."

Rei stared distantly at Shinji Ikari.

"I too now feel this sadness. Whenever I create Adam, I know that I can never be with him. For I am not human. I love him very much. But perhaps now I shall."

"Is this what caused you to change? Did your love make you wish to be with him?"

"I do not know. Goodbye Shinji."

"Goodbye Rei."

The world sank back into darkness, though the Shinji that was able to wonder still existed.

"Mankind should not be destroyed. It should continue. I believe that it can endure, and its continual destruction is not necessary."

Suddenly The Shinji Of Wonder faced God in his entirety.

"So you wish for the human race to survive?"

"No. I do not wish for it to survive. I merely wish for it to progress, to continue."

God smiled.

"What do you wonder about little one?"

"This continuance. Is this natural selection, like before, or is this something new?"

"This day dawns a new existence for man."

The third child awoke on a beach of white sands. The sky was dark, and he could see nothing but ocean for miles. A woman lay next to him, and the third child knew her.

"Asuka."

The red-headed girl sat up slowly, and yawned.

"Shinji?"

"Yes?"

"Where are we?"

The third child heard her words, but did not respond. Instead he leaned his head forward and gently kissed her lips. Within them he found the entirety of the universe, the meaning of existence. There was no war here. There was no peace here. He merely found what he, and indeed what all others are searching for, happiness.

After a millennia, or perhaps only a moment, he broke the embrace and looked around himself once more. He could see his friends lying on the beach around him, they were beginning to move, and, slowly, to wake. He cast his eyes out over the ocean and watched as the sandy beach upon which he sat began to rise up as it was joined by other masses of land, and soon he could see buildings and animals and people walking with their children.

"Shinji?"

"Yes?"

"Is it over?"

"No, Asuka, I believe it is simply beginning."


End file.
